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2-cute-4-school · 3 years

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𝘕𝘊𝘛 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴

requested by the lovely @m4rshm4llow (*ૂ❛ัᴗ❛ั*ૂ)

Mark Lee

i think mark is quite good with children too when he’s not frozen in awkwardness

but i wouldn’t trust with him alone with a kid for too long tbh

like i see him as someone who could probably entertain a kid for a couple of hours succesfully but taking care of them?? yeah no (˵¯͒ བ¯͒˵)

so let’s say he had to tag along with you to babysit because he didn’t want to waste any time he could spend with you *let my boy receive his love*

but he’s not thaaaat excited he just hopes that the kid will get K.O.-ed early in the night so he could have some alone time with you( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°).... TO CUDDLE ya nasties

so when you arrive at your cousin’s house and you come in

he surely DIDN’T expect a kid to literally throw himself onto you and cling to your legs while chanting your name o(*^▽^*)o

the only way you can get him to detach so you can walk is if you pick him up in your arms

“y/n, who’s he?” mark just stares at the chubby finger pointed at him and produces an *HIGHLY AWKWARD* smile like (*′☉.̫☉)

“oh this is mark, my boyfriend”

*silence* “ew”

now hold on rewind

did a kid just ‘ew’ at mark (｡☉︵ ಠ╬)

and then he had THE AUDACITY to cling to your neck while rambling about his new robot toy and mark had to THIRDWHEEL the entire night

now he’s sure you have superpowers how could you tame that!!??!?! even haechan could be considered mild in comparison to... this ʕ •̀ o •́ ʔ

he’s pouty the entire evening while you play and take care of the newly spawned devil in town who HOGS your attention the entire time

so when he finally runs out of energy a bit later than mark would have hoped for, he’s quick to envelop you in his arms and drag you into a well deserved cuddle session ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

“what took you so looong?”

“sorry sorry, i had to look under his man for boogeyman”

“pffft i think boogeyman is the one looking under his bed for that kid”

but he does melt when he remembers the way your eyes sparkled as the child giggled excitedly on your lap while imagining himself in the picture too (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡

Huang Renjun

renjun as we all know is just a bit short tempered so i’m not sure where he stands in his relationship with kids 눈_눈

but also he brings up his younger cousins quite often and he seems very fond of them whenever he talks about them

so i guess he likes kids but like good kids ya know Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑)

so let’s say you’re shopping in like one of those bigger supermarkets

and you hear cries

your mother instincts literally GO OFF LIKE CRAZY

renjun doesn’t even have the time to blink before you’re dragging him in the direction of the noise with such precision you might as well have a radar at this point ᕕ༼✿•̀︿•́༽ᕗ

turns out a little girl was lost between the tall aisles

renjun is a lil bewildered cause what is he supposed to do? not like he’s tall enough to see other the aisles in his dreams maybe

but you seem to know EXACTLY what to do as you crouch down in front of the girl and speak to her so gently not even renjun can hear properly

and then as if nothing happened she stops crying

just like that so renjun decides to try his luck too o｜◕ˇ▽ˇ◕｜ツ

“come on, let’s go find mommy and daddy”

and lemme tell ya the little girl sprung into your arms and clung to you with everything she had as she mumbled into your neck

“i only wanna go with miss” (つ﹏<)･ﾟ｡

his eye twitched a lil ngl （；¬＿¬)

and that’s how you end up taking a stroll to the announcement desk with a whole child gripping onto your hand

renjun would have never imagined his grocery run to turn into this

he only wanted some damn carrots not a frickin child ಠ╭╮ಠ

thankfully it didn’t take long for the parents to run over and thank you for returning their child safely but there was only one problem left

getting her to let go of you

that was a whole ass dramatic goodbye

poor renjun was left exhausted after this he gave up any grocery run he intended to do and dragged you home pronto (ﾉTдT)ﾉ

he admires you so much for how you handled the situation and how you seemed to be so natural and in your element he can only think of how great of a mother you will be in the future with his beside you hopefully

Lee Jeno

one word, his greatest asset: PATIENCE

i see jeno as a man of patience which is more than just helpful when it comes to handling children ❀.(*´◡`*)❀.

he’s also volunteered in all these programs that involved children and he did really well if you ask me soooo he’s a good ally to have (︶.̮︶✽)

and you really REALLY want to volunteer together at one of those like emergency centres for children or something

and who is he to deny his love? he couldn’t have even if he wanted to, you’re too cute in his eyes so he lets you get your way anyway

so before you step inside one of the caretakers gives you some advice

warns you that the new kid, a little girl still in primary school, is still very closed off and wary of everyone

but as you step inside the kids get drawn to you like moths to a flame, swarming around you and asking you questions while dragging you in the living room to play with them

jeno just trails behind, watching the entire commotion with his soft eye smile as he understands (◍•ᴗ•◍)

he knows that you just have a way with people, he’s been in the same position mesmerized by you, it’s one of the reasons he loves you so much and seeing you so purely happy surrounded by children

MELTED HIM ♡(.◜ω◝.)♡

eventually you drag him into the happy circle too and he seems to fit in just right by your side with giggling children everywhere around you

he ends up using his muscly arms ᕙ[ ˵ ͡’ ω ͡’ ˵ ]ᕗ as swings

“hey!! i’m stronger than you!!! let’s have a fight!!!!”

you just giggle as you colour some pictures with a few kids but stare at your boyfriend from the corner of your eye

jeno is so simply happy and comfortable he doesn’t even notice when you disappear from the crowd at first

but when he does his eyes search wildly for you like a lost puppy Σ(ﾟﾛ､ﾟ;)

but then he spots you

curled up on a small couch in the corner of the room, deep in conversation with the new girl whose eyes seemed just a little brighter as you clutched her hand in yours warmly ｡ﾟ.(*´◡` )

and jeno just realises again

you’re just working your charm once again and once again jeno falls for you for the nth time, deeper than the last time and lighter than the next

Lee Donghyuck

this manchild right here smh ୧༼◔益◔୧ ༽

now don’t get me wrong i’m pretty sure he’s decent at least with children

given he has two younger siblings and he often talks about hanging out with his little brother also have you seen that vid with the little girl?? the was he talked to her ⊂（♡⌂♡）⊃

buuuut BUT he’s also DYING like a fish out of water without attention

so when he invites you to tag along to his hangout with his lil bro

he didn’t expect TO BE THE ONE THIRDWHEELING!!!! (╬ಠ益ಠ)

you keep feeding and pampering his brother who basks in your full attention half because he loves it half because he loves the annoyed look on hyuck’s face

“babe i want some kimchi too” (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*)

“oh!!! sure, i’m sorry for hoarding it all”

and as hyuck awaits with his eyes closed and his mouth open with a pleased smile

you plop a bowl of kimchi in front of him and turn back to his brother as he tugs on the sleeve of your shirt

hyuck, muttering to himself: ‘i should have left you home, you lil brat, both of you traitors!!!!!’ (ノTДT)ノ ┻┻

he pouts and sighs dramatically with crossed arms the entire night while watching you interact oh so sweetly with his little brother

but he can’t deny the warm feeling of fondness swarming is his chest seeing you get along so well with his family and being so genuinely happy when you’re with kids

still complains to you when he gets you alone

“i can’t believe you love my brother more than me!!! ME, YOUR SWEET LOVELY CUTIE BOYFRIEND!!!” ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

“first of all, i wouldn’t stretch it that far-” “how is that stretching-?!??!”

“i’m sorry i’m sorry, my sweet lovely cutie boyfriend, i just missed him, he’s so cute and i haven’t seen him in so long and he seems to grow so fast every time we meet” (oꆤ︵ꆤo)

NOW hyuck is real soft how can he be mad at you when you’re THIS ADORABLE AFSKSGDFSAF-

hyuck just presses a sweet smooch to your temple and mutters

“he only acts that cute with you, he’s a devil at home”

“sheesh, i wonder who he takes after” *pointed look* (￢ε￢　)

Na Jaemin

my man here will most likely compete with YOU for the CHILD’S attention

it’s like GAME OVER for him if a child rejects him ε-(≖д≖﹆)

he’s never gonna get over this betrayal from both sides

so let’s say he takes you with him when he offers to babysit a cousin or neighbour idk you get where i’m getting at

and he’s already ‘play buddies’ with him as jaemin likes to put it (,,꒪꒫꒪,,)

and you’re slightly acquitanced with him from a previous visit to jaemin’s house when you coincidentally met

so when jaemin opens the door and announces his presence LOUDLY, the little boy doesn’t waste A SECOND to waddle in the hallway and meet you both ლ(＾ω＾ლ)

and jaemin crouches to meet him midway and-

and he *swooshes* past jaemin and into your open arms while giggling

jaemin, a lonely man in the middle of a hallway: (ಥ⌣ಥ)

the entire day, your boyfriend tries to steal the kid’s attention or bribe him over with sweets or toys

now you’re wondering who the real brat is

is salty about the UTTER rejection but also can’t help but watch you both so fondly with a proud hopefully in future for real fatherly smile (*ૂ❛ัᴗ❛ั*ૂ)

“are you practicing, y/n?”

“pardon?”

“practice, are you practicing?”

“for...?” ∑（´△｀○）

“ya know” *wiggles eyebrows* “taking care of our future children”

“learn how to control your own brat at home read jisung first and THEN we can talk, jaemama”

jaemin can’t believe this low blow, how could you after everything he’s done: cooking for you, taking you on bike rides even though he was the one who wanted to, even buying pads!!! or even worse!!!!! STRAWBERRY YOGHURT!!!!!! ∑(ﾟ台ﾟlll

he’s still pouty as you all put on an animation and snuggle a blanket

but then!!!! you fall asleep with the little boy in your embrace

and jaemin!!!!! just!!! CAN’T!!! stay mad!!!!!! cause you’re both just SO absolutely irrevocably CUTE!!!!!! ♡( ૢ⁼̴̤̆ ꇴ ⁼̴̤̆ ૢ)~ෆ♡

so he just HAS TO lay a *meaningful* smooch on your forehead as he sleepily moves closer to you both, one arm wrapping loosely around you while the other caresses the child’s head, lulling the both of them to sleep his protecc instincts kicked in y’all

Zhong Chenle

he has already expressed his wish to have a family someday since he wants to live the same happiness his brother does with his own family

which i think is ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS

and we all know he’s WHIPPED for his nephew ˞♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ)

but unfortunately

that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good with children yet

let me give you a context over here

so he’s left alone for a short while with his baby nephew which shouldn’t be too bad since technically chenle is an adult at least legally okay??

and right things are all good until BABY STARTS TO CRY i’m talking about the actual baby here although chenle might cry too at this point

and chenle just PANICS when he realises that just shushing won’t work and whacking a hand over his mouth *cough* like he does to jisung *cough* isn’t an option (╬⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾ Д ⁽⁽ ⁰ ⁾⁾)

but thankfully, you’re there!!!!!!

“may i?” you ask chenle as you stretch out your arms in his direction

chenle has never passed over anything faster in his entire life џ(ºДºџ)

so when you coddle the baby in your arms and just gently bounce him a little he just settles down so cutely and most important QUIETLY as he stares up at you with curious eyes, small fingers curling up around a necklace swung around your neck or just the fabric of your shirt

chenle is all like (๑•́o•̀๑)!!

HOW DID YOU JUST DO THAT!!!!

and he watches with eyes even more curious than his nephew’s eyes as the baby slowly dozes off peacefully in your arms (꒡ ω ꒡ )zzz

it just hits him just how natural the scene looks

he approaches carefully once he’s sure his nephew fell asleep and lays a gentle hand on your head as he peers down at the cute chubby baby face

“you’re a life saver, how did you even manage to do that?” ◎ܫ◎

“you know, i have to take care of you all the time so-”

he flicks your forehead faster than you can finish that sentence

way to ruin a moment (oT-T)

but *SIKEEE* the baby fusses a little as soon as you frown and chenle immediately freaks out

he showers the spot on your forehead with kisses and his nephew settles down once again as you smile at him proudly ໒( ͡ᵔ ▾ ͡ᵔ )७

chenle rolls his eyes as if he doesn’t wish for this scene to become familiar to him sometime in the future

Park Jisung

this chick is still a baby who barely hatched

so he’s still in CONSTANT WONDER of the world ༼ つ ◕o◕ ༽つ

and in this episode of ‘jisung the explorer’ he’s discovering... ACTUAL babies

so you were on a date at the local mall when you met with a family friend of your mom’s who was struggling with her fussy baby girl in a carrier while trying to shop for some baby products

so you offer to watch over the girl until her mom finishes up (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧

but just as you’re about to attach the baby carrier to yourself, an old woman asks for directions around the shop

so you pass the baby to jisung for literally a minute to show the lady the way └(>ω<。)┐

and jisung is HIGHKEY PANICKED

he holds the baby by the underarms at arms length and obviously she doesn’t enjoy that and just starts wailing in the middle of the shop

and people just... stare (,Ծ_Ծ,)

and jisung is all like ‘IT’S NOT MINE!!!!! AND I’M NOT STEALING OR MISTREATING IT EITHER!!!!!!’

the moment you’re back in his sight, he’s THRUSTING that tiny loud bald creature in your arms it’s a child jisung ║ * ರ Ĺ̯ ರ * ║

and he expects for you to panic too but right away

the baby quietens down as you cuddle her close to your chest and coo softly in a hushed baby voice

and she plays with your shirt while you glare at your boyfriend (눈_눈)

“y/n, you sorcerer, how did you just shut it off?”

“i didn’t ‘shut it off’, she’s a baby not a tape recorder”

“oh REALLY, i couldn’t tell the difference for a moment there”

you just might consider returning jisung and keeping the baby（ ಠωಠ）

he watches in wonder as you entertain the baby for the next few minutes until her mother comes back

and he swears his heart skips a beat when he sees your smile widen with tenderness once you get a small giggle out of the baby (*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*)

he supposes maybe she isn’t so bad since she makes you so happy

even though she was louder than even chenle which is an accomplishment at this point

and when jisung notices your slight pout once you gave the baby back and parted ways he makes sure to shower your face in kisses until you regain the same smile that made him fall so deep in love with you

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justmaybee · 3 years

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Feather Sensitive

Summary: Oh, Yamaguchi’s really done it this time. He should just keep his mouth shut from now on. Unfortunately, that’s the exact opposite of what Hinata wants.

A/N: Y’ello! Another off-brand one, but hopefully a fandom peeps recognize. I haven’t seen Haikyuu in a lil, but I love Yamigoops and this has been 90% done for forever so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Based entirely off the second headcanon here, by @ticklishnonsense — absolutely loved it and you can tell cuz I wrote this ages ago for no other reason than having it written down for myself~

A big thank you to OP for letting me use her work as inspiration!!

———

This was a mistake. This was a mistake. This was a mistake.

Yamaguchi can’t will his mind into more elaborate thought, because it’s all just suddenly sunken in.

Hinata’s weight, heavy but not uncomfortable, resting snug on his hips. The loose tank top, just slightly too big on him, stolen out of Kageyama’s stuff at some point during one sleepover or another. And that ridiculously giant feather Hinata’s got poised between his fingers, like it’s a quill and Yamaguchi is a trembling, twitchy sheet of parchment about to be marked up.

When had he told Hinata? Why had he told Hinata?

Tsukki had figured it out, years and years ago; during one of their many one-sided tickle fights, Yamaguchi thinks. It’s been used against him for as long as he can remember, stray fluff from down pillows and blankets brushed over his neck or feet to pull a sudden and squeaky laugh. He’s never, ever told Tsukki just how much it really tickled though, and Tsukki never asked.

So why did he have to go and mention this to a person just as skilled and merciless in tickling people—often Yamaguchi people—into boneless puddles of teary, hysterical laughter?

It’s got to be Hinata’s charm. If Tsukishima has his cold, borderline apathetic, poise to lay base for his killer teasing method, then Hinata’s strength comes in his natural curiosity. Wide eyes, a light voice, and an openness that makes Yamaguchi feel like he can talk to him.

This, apparently, is not the case in a topic involving feathers. Because Yamaguchi will apparently lose all sense of self-preservation and voice his thoughts on how unbearably sensitive he is to a thing most people will flinch at and brush away like nothing.

But of course, it’s too late for him to realize his mistake now. It wasn’t until Hinata came barreling down the hall, shopping bag in hand, to tackle Yamaguchi to the living room carpet that things started rolling into motion.

Now Hinata’s got Yamaguchi pinned, arms under his knees and a big, big smile stretched over his face. It’s so genuine and excited that Yamaguchi finds himself getting a little lost in it, at least until the feather comes back into focus.

“I mean come on, Yamaguchi.” Hinata holds the quill of the feather and traces the soft end up his own arm, dusting it over his collarbone and getting just a hint of a twitch out of his lips before twirling it between his fingers. “I almost think that you’re lying to me.”

But his face must convince Hinata otherwise, because he doesn’t look like he thinks it’s a lie. The tracing of the feather, even along Hinata’s skin has Yamaguchi twitching, breathing funny. Goosebumps rise along his arms, and Hinata is so riled up with energy—so ready to take Yamaguchi apart—that it’s practically impossible for the brunette to even try and stop the wobbly smile making its way onto his face.

Hinata is the one to burst the bubble of anticipation building slowly in Yamaguchi’s gut. He laughs, a delighted little sound, commenting on the cute pink of Yamaguchi’s blush before he goes in for the kill. And Yamaguchi has never been that great at holding back his reactions, especially when he’s already a tense and flustered mess untouched, so the result is pretty immediate.

The first giggle slips hesitantly out of his throat but clears the way for many more as Hinata gently traces the base of his neck, skimming over his collarbones like even a feather could break them if used too harshly.

It’s a little timid, a little reserved, which is a major change of pace from Hinata’s usual quick and dirty way of fighting. He’s always had a ‘take no prisoners’ sort of approach to a tickle fight; either win outright or die trying, but the new method seems to slow him down a bit.

He’s thinking, watching. And luckily, for him and most certainly not Yamaguchi, the change seems to work really well with the soft touch of the feather. Pulling giggle after giggle from his victim and making him sputter at the attention when he realizes how closely he’s being observed.

The plume travels slowly up Yamaguchi’s neck, high enough that he’s able to jerk his head to block out either side as it passes. Unfortunately, that just causes Hinata to speed up the back and forth strokes, attempting to dodge Yamaguchi’s blocks. And it’s effective and so much more ticklish, Yamaguchi chokes on his sudden snort and tosses his head back on impulse, laughter getting louder and more desperate as Hinata takes advantage of the newly exposed skin.

He keeps at it until Yamaguchi feels light-headed, a little delirious with his laughter completely unchecked. The feather strays to flick up over his ear, and the whimpering laugh that comes out keeps Hinata there until Yamaguchi’s shoulder is twitching spastically of its own accord, desperately trying to stop the light, constant brush over his sensitive skin.

He gets a break—thank God—after a few minutes of this. Being dubbed most ticklish in the house (after many, many tests) has left him with pretty high stamina. But somehow a few minutes of Hinata and a feather has him panting for breath like he’d just finished a hundred laps around the gym.

Yamaguchi is so caught up in catching his breath (and trying to calm that tic in his shoulder) that he doesn’t really think about how breaks aren’t much of Hinata’s style either.

His floaty mind comes to bite him when he feels two soft points of contact touch down on his wrists.

His arms jolt on instinct. His elbows move a smidge in either direction but stick firm to the ground. Hinata’s smile takes on a wicked gleam and...oh boy.

If Yamaguchi gets out of this alive, the others will have some real competition for scariest tickler.

The feathers sweep back and forth, back and forth over his arms. They start at the wrist, and would almost feel nice if not for the impending sense of doom that has blood rushing through Yamaguchi’s ears right now.

The swaying movement drifts up, painfully slow. He doesn’t even think it tickles that much right now, but that doesn’t stop him from physically biting his lip to stop the snickers from making their way out.

It’s when the pair reach his inner elbow that first crack appears. Yamaguchi gasps and Hinata perks up, keeping the feathers there a moment longer, letting them sweep side to side a little faster.

From there the cracks spiderweb exponentially.

The gasp ends up turning into a snort. As Himata continues his path upward, it becomes a whine. And when he’s at the faint line where his skin darkens with a tan, from long summer days spent out in a t-shirt, he decides to flick the feathers in an alternating pattern over either arm.

It has Yamaguchi rocking back and forth in a way that he guesses might look kind of funny. Hinata starts laughing anyways. And of course, it’s enough to get Yamaguchi’s lips to loosen and let out the stream of bubbling giggles he’s been suppressing for far too long already.

His arms feel warm, almost as hot as his face, even though their air conditioning has been working pretty decently lately. There’s a faint tingly feeling still left where the feathers had once brushed his skin.

Everything already feels so sensitive, and Hinata isn’t even there yet.

There are butterflies having a—a mosh pit in his stomach right now. He can’t remember the last time he felt so wound up getting tickled. Then again, he can’t remember the last time Hinata put this much...care? Is that the right word for this situation? —into destroying him.

It makes Yamaguchi a little happy, for some reason.

And sometime about that moment seems to be the limit for Hinata’s concentration, because the change from gentle, teasing touches to his usual form of attack is both quick and excruciating.

The moment after, when Yamaguchi suddenly has two feathers sweeping fast little strokes under his arms, his brain completely short circuits.

What leaves his mouth can only be called a shriek and it’s quickly drowned out by the squeaky, panicked laughter that floods the room immediately.

His chest is jerking side to side in vain. There’s hair in his eyes and a little in his mouth from how violently he’s tossing his head around, but he can’t register a thing beyond the millions of wispy, light strands fluttering a fast track over and over and over the soft and sensitive skin beneath his restrained arms.

Hinata gets the bright idea to not try and jam the delicate things towards the floor anymore. He instead tries twirling them in a circular motion in the spaces underneath Yamaguchi’s arms.

Yamaguchi didn’t think his voice was high enough to screech like he used to, but ‘Hey, you learn something new everyday,’ he thinks, entirely delirious.

His back arches off the ground, head tossing back then pressing into his shoulder as if it’ll somehow smother his hysterical laughter.

It’s bright and desperate and so, so loud. Yamaguchi would typically only reach this point when someone’s feeling particularly ruthless with plenty of time to spare, but it could be hours since Hinata first got him pinned down; it sure feels like it.

There are weird little squeaks that pierce the air when he’s got the breath. His limbs are doing this constant squirm that’s got him feeling hot all over. His lashes feel wet and he knows it’s a matter of seconds before the tears start to fall.

But nothing is more prominent than the feeling of soft, soft, so very soft; and it tickles, it tickles, it really tickles.

———

When Yamaguchi’s brain finally starts rebuilding from the mush, hiccuping giggles making their way through his gasps for breath, he feels Hinata still sitting on top of him. Thankfully—mercifully—though, the feathers are nowhere to be seen, and his hands have been let free.

Seeing Hinata’s hand in his peripheral makes him flinch, but he just wipes at Yamaguchi’s cheek, brushing away the leftover moisture.

“I had to stop because you were starting to look like a strawberry,” Hinata grins. His skin is cool against Yamaguchi’s. He leans into the touch.

“So...was that awesome or what?” Hinata continues, voice energetic though he still rubs a soothing motion over Yamaguchi’s cheek.

Yamaguchi takes a second to reflect. On the dreamy tiredness seeping into his bones, the floaty high that fills up his head.

He nods, once or twice. Though from where Hinata’s sitting, it could just be Yamaguchi nuzzling into his hand. That’s fine. Yamaguchi could use the plausible deniability.

Once he’s been declared as officially ‘not a strawberry anymore,’ Hinata helps him up. He only stumbles a little bit, but of course Hinata has to poke fun.

“You know what that means?” Hinata throws out, arm linked with Yamaguchi’s as they make their way to a well-deserved seat on the couch.

Yamaguchi hums in response.

“We’ve gotta start building up your tolerance.”

Yamaguchi’s eyes widen, but he’s pushed onto the couch with a lap full of Hinata before he can say anything. He looks up at Yamaguchi all big eyes and a bigger smile. Yamaguchi swallows.

“We’re doing that again, soon.“

#bee stuffs #tickling #tickle fic #Hinata #Yamaguchi #based off the og post #there’s some college poly first year vibes #but it’s up for interpretation idk #ticklish!Yamaguchi #as he de-serves #Haikyuu

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heloflor · 2 years

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His Special Day

AO3 link

What most people would call a normal Tuesday was a special day for Balthazar, one that only came once a year. And for the occasion, he and Vinnie decided to take some time together to relax and have fun.

Note : My contribution for the second Cavendish Appreciation Day. This is basically “Present Anniversary” 2.0 except it’s for a different anniversary and it’s better written (I hope…). Also, I got to write the breakfast part of their morning routine so that’s a plus !

This fic was actually pretty hard to write tho, as I am VERY bad at making simple domestic fluff instead of angst. At least it was some good training on that end ! There are also like two parts that don’t really serve much of the story and is more about sharing dumb headcanons so they could very easily be removed but I wanted a bit of a long fic, and I like sharing headcanons and don’t think those part really slow the story down anyways (I need to stop bringing up my Dakota siblings OCs in every single fic I make but I love these idiots so much…).

As per usual, Cavendish and Dakota are an old married couple. This fic also follows the idea of a recent fic called “We can’t keep hiding it” with Dakota trying to get Cavendish to be more open about their relationship despite being in a time-period that isn’t the best for it. And regarding the birth dates, I’m not really sure where I got the idea aside from my brain going “this guy gives off “born in spring” vibes and this guy “born in autumn” vibes”, whatever that means. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It might have to do with their color palette but honestly I’m not too sure.

Anyways. Enjoy !

---------------

Balthazar woke up like every morning to the sound of his alarm. He sleepily reached out for the phone device, cutting off the obnoxious music with a huff. Vinnie had been right to tell him to put something he couldn’t stand as an alarm. It sure managed to make him feel awake in no time ! And speaking of the shorter man…

Balthazar turned back to the man still sleeping in his arms, his back against the taller man’s abdomen as Balthazar was still holding him close with one arm, acting like his partner was a warm and soft teddy bear. Balthazar gazed at his husband with what he knew to be a dopey smile, though he couldn’t care less about how lovestruck he must have looked right now. It wasn’t like anyone was even watching him anyways.

Gently, Balthazar let a hand run through Vinnie’s hair down to the nape of his neck, satisfied to see the man grin and make a few noises in his sleep. He could never get tired of this. Vinnie’s soft hair, his gentle and peaceful breathing when the he was having a good dream, his smile from simply feeling Balthazar nearby, the way he would sometimes whisper “Balth” or “I love you” in his sleep…After a few more seconds, Balthazar kissed his husband’s cheek, cupping it for a few instants as well and gently caressing it with his thumb. Finally, he pulled away, grabbing his glasses and deciding to get out of bed with a stretch.

Once up, Balthazar opened the curtain of their small window, making sure the light didn’t reach Vinnie’s face. Then, he followed his usual “breakfast routine” : getting some water to warm up, starting the coffee machine, putting on Vinnie’s desk a biscuit box along with his dose of Adderall and a glass of water, grabbing a box of crackers for himself as well as a teabag, using the water to make his tea brew, taking the now-finished coffee to put on Vinnie’s desk and finally sitting at his own desk with his tea and crackers.

While waiting for his drink to cool down and for Vinnie to wake up any minute now, Balthazar took out his phone to skim the news. But before he could even open the app, the tall man found himself pause at the date.

April 12th

His birthday

Balthazar couldn’t believe he actually forgot that his birthday was coming up. He usually was good with dates ! But then again, with all the craziness of those past two seasons, he had spent every spring day so far waiting with apprehension for the next catastrophe. It seemed his wariness had made him overlook the simpler things life had to give…

But had it really been an entire year since his last birthday already ? Logically, it was. When Vinnie and him had been sent to Danville 2014 almost two years ago, the day they had been sent to in the past had been the very same date of the one they had been leaving in the future, save for a few hours difference. This meant that, right now, if Balthazar were to go back to his own time-period, it would be April 12th 2176.

Thinking how it was his birthday…Balthazar knew it was childish, but it made him feel excited for the day. He knew he had a small smile on his face, hidden behind his cup as he drank his tea. Of course, it was foolish to imagine this day being any different than the others. To everyone else, today was nothing more than a Tuesday.

Balthazar’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his partner groaning as he woke up. The tall man glanced at the convertible couch where Vinnie sat up and cracked his back with a grunt. The shorter man was quick to grab his glasses and stand up, sluggishly heading towards Balthazar’s desk.

“Hey.~”, he greeted, using the wood as support.

“Hello.”, Balthazar greeted back, pushing his cup aside. He held onto Vinnie’s chin to bring the man close enough to kiss him, a warm feeling overflowing him from seeing his husband lit up. Vinnie stayed close and started nuzzling Balthazar, who had to hold onto his desk as he was pushed back by the sleepy man. Still, the gesture made the taller man laugh and he tried to nuzzle back the best he could. Vinnie seemed to be in a good mood today. It was nice to see him like that, especially after all the anguish they went through this past winter.

Once the shorter man pulled away, he went to his own desk, downing his pill before getting to his coffee.

“So, anything special planned today ?”, Vinnie asked.

“Not really. Aside from work, I mean.”, Balthazar replied. Had he not known his partner better, he would have assumed Vinnie knew very well it was his birthday and was not-so-subtly trying to give him a hint. But alas, Vinnie was more of a day-to-day person. He most likely had his mind elsewhere anyways, what with all the things he had been forced to deal with those past few weeks…

“How long until next weekend ?”, the shorter man half-joked in-between sips of coffee.

“It’s only Tuesday.”, Balthazar deadpanned. “It’s April 12th.”, he couldn’t help but add.

“April 12, huh…”, Vinnie suddenly froze, his cup still raised. “Wait.”, he put his coffee down and quickly took out his phone. Balthazar tried to suppress a knowing smile. There was no doubt that Vinnie was checking his calendar and the notes he put in the app to see if today was anything special.

After a few seconds, Vinnie looked up. He put the device aside and stood, coughing awkwardly. “Saaayyy…how about you start our work without me and I’ll join you later ? I-um-I-I got a thing or two I forgot to buy the other day an-“

“Just say you forgot and don’t have a present, it will save us both time.”, Balthazar gently replied, though not without a certain scold in his voice.

“…You got me.”, Vinnie sighed with a smile and dropped back onto his seat. He looked at the man facing him with a soft expression. “Happy birthday, hon. Sorry I forgot this time.”

“It’s alright. I’ll admit I forgot as well.”, Balthazar confessed. “And thank you.”, he concluded while fighting the urge to cross the room to hug his partner. He had all the time in the world later for that.

“Still, we can’t do nothing.”, Vinnie continued, not without a pause at the taller man’s words to gaze at him lovingly. “We’ll have tons of time after work. So what’d you wanna do ? Restaurant ? Movie ? Staying home watching TV with a few snacks ? Going out ? It’s all your call.”

“…A fancy restaurant would be nice.”, Balthazar toyed with his mustache as he let the different ideas run through his mind. “It certainly had been a while since we last had a proper date. But then again we are on a tight budget.”

“Eh. It’s your birthday. We can spend a little more than usual for once.”, Vinnie shrugged.

“Still…You know what ? I’ll take my decision while we work.”, the taller man ultimately decided as he stood up, his breakfast done. “It’s not like picking up trash requires a lot of mental effort anyways.”, he silently grumbled.

And with that, and with an approving nod from Vinnie, Balthazar cleaned his desk and went to the showers, getting ready for yet another day of ungrateful work.

---------------

The work day ended up being an ordinary one, just picking up what was most definitely human trash in some random desolated spot. At the very least, there wasn’t that much rubbish. It would be a quick day.

Still, it only took a few minutes of work before Balthazar started grumbling under his breath. Since they were using the grabbers today, he couldn’t even have the satisfaction to lower his frustration by stabbing the trash !

“Got any ideas for your birthday yet ?”, Balthazar almost jumped from the sudden question. He hadn’t been expecting Vinnie to be right next to him. “…Balth ?”

Balthazar cleared his throat awkwardly. “I haven’t thought about it much so far. In case you haven’t noticed, I have something else in mind.”, he glared at his trash bag as he talked.

“You’re not gonna let a bunch of random paper ruin your day, are you ? We have too much fun coming after work to waste your energy on that.”, was Vinnie trying to cheer him up ? Is that why the shorter man had approached him ? “I’m sure you’ll get all the time in the world tomorrow to complain about the job.”, he half-joked.

“Well, then.”, the taller man replied, taking his husband’s advice to think without his job in mind. “No, I haven’t taken my decision as to what to do yet.”, truth be told, Balthazar drew a complete blank. Usually, for his birthday, Vinnie and him would use their time-machine to go somewhere in the past to enjoy many activities. Other times, when he felt like partying, they would infiltrate a celebration somewhere around the world. But this year…

They couldn’t do any of that. They may not ever be able to do any of that.

“No idea, huh ?”

“Not a single one. Unless you have a suggestion ?”, he added after a pause. “What would you do if you had to spend your birthday in this place and time ?”

“How am I supposed to plan that far ahead ?”, Vinnie asked, seemingly amused. “October’s in forever from now. I would never remember that long ! And who’s to say how things will change for us in all that time ?��, Balthazar didn’t miss the way Vinnie’s expression saddened after that last part.

“Is there something wrong ?”

“…Everything’s fine.”, Vinnie looked away. “I don’t have plans for this October, end of story.”, he shrugged. The taller man frowned at his partner, a frown that would make Vinnie understand he wasn’t buying it and wanted Vinnie to express what was bothering him, even if it was something that could hurt Balthazar. And when the shorter man gave him a glance, he clearly noticed. Vinnie crossed his arms defensively. “It’s no big deal. It’s just…It’s going to be weird, not celebrating with the others…”

Balthazar opened his mouth to ask what Vinnie meant by that, only to have the realization come crashing down with a wave of melancholy.

The Dakota family reunion. A tradition started years ago by Vinnie and his three older siblings.

When the different siblings became adults and started living their own lives, the quartet realized that, instead of having one birthday for each one of them and being forced to skip job and travel three times a year, they could simply have one event to celebrate everyone’s birthdays. Besides, all four siblings were born around the same months, so it made everything convenient.

Thinking about the event…it made Balthazar’s heart ache. Despite his annoyance towards one of the siblings and his wife, and despite his awkwardness around Vinnie’s niece and nephews, the taller man had always been fond of his in-laws and was more than happy to call himself a Dakota.

Every year, Balthazar would eagerly follow Vinnie to his home-country. He would greet the small family with a smile, spend hours talking with his sister Bettie, help out Enzie, the oldest brother, in the kitchen while the others prepared the table, the language barrier between them long gone.

Cooking for this celebration had always felt like a challenge for Balthazar. But it was one he was more than eager to participate in. Between the four siblings growing up in Italy, the sister working in Germany and then in England, Balthazar himself growing up in England and Vinnie and him living in the United States, preparing food for the event meant cooking a large variety of dishes ranging from childhood favorites to traditional specialties.

The family would group together for the meal, before separating in smaller groups. There would be games for the children, gifts for all the siblings, snacks all around the place, many talks about all kinds of topics... Balthazar would never notice the hours going by. And when it was time to leave, both he and Vinnie would take their time saying goodbye.

…

…But now that they were stuck here…

“…You’re right. It will feel rather strange…”

“Guess we’ll just have to settle for the afterparty, huh ?”, Vinnie asked in a sad chuckle.

Balthazar could only nod at the words. Even with the family reunion, Vinnie and Balthazar grew the habit to have a smaller celebration the day of Vinnie’s actual birthday. But still. Missing the event the taller man was looking forward to every fall…

“…I wonder how they will be doing this year.”, Balthazar voiced out-loud.

“Who ?”

“Your brothers and sisters. I wonder what it would be like for them to have the reunion without us. They will probably miss us just as much as we miss them…”

“Maybe one of them will try stealing a time-vehicle to find us. They do own us a ‘happy birthday’ and a couple presents.”, Vinnie jokingly suggested. Yet again, it seemed his partner was ignoring his own pain to focus on helping Balthazar with his…

“I doubt they would have the ability to do that.”, the taller man pointed out. “Or the craziness to do so.”

“Don’t underestimate Donnie.”, Vinnie replied with another chuckle. Balthazar only grumbled as an answer. He would much rather see Bettie try instead. Or any other member of the family for that matter.

The couple fell silent for a moment, thinking about their little family. With all the events they went through recently, Balthazar had completely forgotten about all the people he had been forced to leave behind upon getting banned. But now that he had time to think about it…Balthazar missed them terribly. Not just his in-laws, but his friends as well. There was just so much they had lost…and from the look on Vinnie’s face, it was obvious that his partner felt the same way.

The more memories came flooding back, the more the same question kept repeating itself in his mind : Will they ever see their family again ?

As much as Balthazar wished to share his feelings, he forced himself to stay silent. Vinnie was already affected enough, Balthazar knew that. Vinnie’s siblings were the people his spouse grew up with, the ones who raised him. It must already be heartbreaking enough for him without adding Balthazar’s fears. On top of that, the taller man knew Vinnie was blaming himself for getting them banned from their present. And while Balthazar would never hold it against him -his partner did it all to save his life after all !-, there was no denying the short man’s fault. Vinnie would never forgive himself if he knew just how much his partner was missing their former life.

Overall, there was simply nothing Balthazar could say that would make the situation better…

Instead, the taller man put a hand on Vinnie’s shoulder, squeezing it. The shorter man was quick to return the gesture, joining his husband’s hand with his own, slowly drawing circles on it. Vinnie also planted a kiss or two on Balthazar’s hand.

The duo stayed like that for a moment, looking each other in the eye, hands joined as they shared their common grief.

But soon enough, they pulled away. They had a job to do after all. And the quicker they were done, the quicker they could enjoy Balthazar’s birthday. Besides, it was as Vinnie said. He could try living for today, doing his best to push all his fears and frustrations aside. He had tomorrow to think about that.

For now, he wasn’t going to let any negative emotion ruin this day.

---------------

Once the work was done, Balthazar was more than happy to remove the uncomfortable outfit and call it a day.

“Sooo…what are today’s plans ?”, Vinnie asked while closing the back of their van. The couple was back at the parking of their ‘apartment’. “We’ll do anything you want. And since I don’t have a present to offer, let’s make it all my treat !”

We have a joint account, dearest., Balthazar decided to keep his comment for himself. It wasn’t Vinnie’s fault that their humiliating job was putting him in a bad mood.

“Well, let’s see…”, Balthazar took out his phone to look at the time. 2:30 PM. “We still have quite a lot of time before dinner.”

“Did we even take the time to make a reservation somewhere ?”, Vinnie interrupted.

“With how little we have, I’m afraid we’ll have to content ourselves with a place not fancy enough for long-term reservations.”, the taller man replied. “Now, about what to do for the time being…”, Balthazar was back into his thoughts. He still didn’t have a single idea ! All morning, the only thing he had been able to think about was his former anniversaries and all the opportunities he couldn’t access anymore !

Between how little they earned and the loss of their time-vehicle, what were they supposed to do ?

“You know, we don’t have to do anything big.”, Vinnie off-handedly pointed out, as if reading his partner’s mind. “If you just want to go to the park and read a book or something, that’s fine by me. In the meantime, I could hang out with the ducks and the squirrels or something.”, he chuckled at that last part.

“I suppose, yes…It is a beautiful day, after all.”, Balthazar smiled at the thought of how lovely the park must be in this time of the year. Especially in such a time-period. “Then again, I wouldn’t want to exclude you.”, he admitted. After all, every single one of his birthdays for the past two decades had been spent with his partner. And while this year might have a few changes, there was no reason for this to be different.

“It’s fine, hon. I won’t mind if you just want your peace and quiet”, Vinnie reassured with a shrug. “I love you. I’m happy just being around you.”, the short man started walking away, glancing at his partner over his shoulder. Balthazar soon followed. “And if you want us to do something together, we could have a boat ride like last fall.”

“With such a weather, it would be even better than last time.”, the tall man finished. Now that he was walking next to Vinnie and followed his pace, he took notice of his own hands clasped behind his back. Scolding himself mentally for the habit he had forced upon himself for all those years, he let his arms fall to his sides and gave in the urge to reach out for Vinnie’s hand. The short man gazed at him and Balthazar couldn’t help but interlock their fingers.

“Say, d’you think they have a few food stands out there ? I could do with a snack to munch on while we’re chilling.”, and just like that, Vinnie had completely broken off the mood.

“I guess we’ll just have to see.”, Balthazar grumbled. He knew his reply didn’t show much of his concern for his partner’s habit of eating junk food any time of the day, but it wasn’t like Vinnie ever listened anyways.

Now that they were set on where to spend the afternoon, the discussion changed for more casual topics and laughter could be heard as the two men walked hand in hand under the gentle spring breeze.

---------------

The park was as beautiful as Balthazar had expected. The main path was surrounded by soft grass gently flowing in the wind, while the wilder parts were filled with blooming flowers of all colors. As for the lake, the blue water looked like it was glittering as the lake was directly reflecting the sun. All-in-all, it was a beautiful day.

Balthazar stood at the entrance for a few seconds to take in the view. When he glanced at his partner, he noticed the shorter man had set his eyes on something else. Namely, the food stand near the playground part of the area. The taller man cleared his throat in annoyance.

“You said something, hon ?”, his husband asked almost instinctively. Balthazar was about to retort but immediately decided to drop it. He mentally reasoned that he didn’t want to have an argument when he could have a peaceful evening instead.

“In fact, I did. I was just saying that I believe one of your first ideas might be quite a treat today.”

“Which one ? ‘Cause I’ve been running my mouth a little, earlier.”, Vinnie chuckled while awkwardly scratching his head.

“The one about reading by the lake.”, Balthazar answered with a smaller voice, as if whispering to himself. “To be able to simply sit down and have this moment of peace…”

“Then why don’t you go ahead and find yourself a bench ?”, Vinnie continued. He pointed at the food stand. “In the meantime, I can get us something to wait until dinner.”, he suggested.

“I suppose…”

Vinnie started heading towards the stand, letting go of his partner’s hand as he did. Balthazar almost tried to grab it back. After so many months avoiding any kind of affection, just losing such a small contact made his hand feel cold and empty. He truly had missed those touches as much as Vinnie did, didn’t he ?

Balthazar shook the thought away and entered the park, walking towards the lake. He quickly found an empty bench standing under the shadow of a tree. From here, he had a perfect view of the place and the beauty this day was bringing to it. The tall man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the moment. The blooming flowers created a combination of scents, spread throughout the park by the gentle breeze blowing through the growing leaves. Nearby, friends and families were happily chatting while their children were running around, playing together. Their commotion mixed with the chirping of the birds in the nearest trees, along with the quacking of the ducks that followed the pitter-patter of their feet.

That was something Balthazar had always loved about the past, just how alive it was. All-in-all, he would do anything to go back to his own time-period. No better time like the present, as they said ! But if there was one thing he could never get tired of in his travels, it was this. Having people around playing together in the same place, having animals around, making their presence known in yet such a subtle way…While the streets of his Danville were always busy, there was never such a thing as being able to just sit down and feel the world around him.

If he ever were to get back to his time and be forced never to time-travel again, he would miss this…

After a minute or two, as Balthazar was taking his phone out, Vinnie came back with two churros cornets, a soda and a bottle of water. With one cornet in each hand, the shorter man was trying and clearly struggling to keep the food safe by forcing himself to carry the bottles under his armpits. Balthazar raised an eyebrow at the awkward picture, knowing very well his husband was just messing around to humor him.

“There you go.~”, Vinnie dramatically handed the food and water, taking a seat next to his husband. Balthazar quickly moved to the far end of the bench, knowing Vinnie might lie down at some point. At least, part of him hoped the short man would.

Not feeling particularly hungry, Balthazar put the paper cornet down and went back to his phone.

“You know it’s gonna get cold, right ?”, Vinnie pointed out. Because of course this was what got his partner’s attention.

“I don’t mind if it does.”, Balthazar replied.

“Do you even have a book with you ? Or are we just going to chill ?”, his husband asked between bites.

“Luckily, I have stored a few books on my phone.”, the taller man replied, showing Vinnie the screen. While he still found the technology of that time quite dated, at least not everything deserved to be thrown away.

Vinnie just shrugged and went back to his food, not without eyeing the others churros from time to time.

“…Sorry for not doing anything special with you.”, Balthazar couldn’t help but apologize after choosing which story to read.

“I told you Balth, it’s completely fine.”, Vinnie answered gently. “I love you. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy. I don’t need anything else.”

Balthazar found himself smile at the words, his guilty feelings partly fading away.

“Besides, it’s your birthday.”, the shorter man continued. “It’s your special day. Who am I to tell you how to enjoy it ?”

“Alright then.”, Balthazar replied. He started reading.

After a few more minutes, Vinnie finished his food. As Balthazar noticed the shorter man standing up to go buy more, he quickly grabbed his arm to sit him back down. Before his husband could complain, Balthazar let a hand run through his hair, soothing the shorter man. Vinnie lied down, head on his partner’s lap. Satisfied by his distraction, and hoping his bladder wasn’t going to bother him anytime soon, Balthazar went back to his reading, letting go of Vinnie’s hair ever so often to take a bite of his churros.

If only for just a moment, everything felt perfect.

---------------

Balthazar and Vinnie spent the rest of the afternoon at the park. At some point, they went closer to the water, Vinnie trying to approach the ducks and teaching his partner the way to do so. Later on, they decided to rent a boat to admire the park from its center. Balthazar also took the time to admire the flowers, thrilled by their sweet fragrance.

But as the sun lowered into the sky, it was time for them to find a place to eat.

They scoured several websites, trying to find someplace that was rather chic but still cheap enough. At first, Balthazar had believed they would have to argue, especially with their different views on the matter. But, being his birthday, Vinnie gave his partner free reign on where to go.

Eventually, they found a small restaurant not too far away. It wasn’t very “chic” per say, but it wasn’t like they had many options anyways. And lucky for them, it was the middle of the week and still pretty early, meaning they weren’t that many people. Dinner would be quick, pleasant, and enjoyable.

The couple was seated near a window. With the sun still rather high in the sky, they had a good view on the busy street outside. When the waiter came to give them the menu, Vinnie half-jokingly requested to make it a candlelight dinner, which Balthazar didn’t oppose. He did say he wanted to make it a date, after all ! The shorter man also announced early that he would pick up the check, a habit they got from their own time-period. “It’s his birthday, so I’ll let the man scot-free this time.”, he joked, to which the waiter wished Balthazar a happy birthday. The taller man replied with a pleased “thank you”, appreciative of the gesture.

Balthazar and Vinnie started with an appetizer, happy to enjoy each other’s company over a glass of wine, before moving to the main course.

The restaurant started to fill while the couple was looking at the menu. Between the churros earlier and the appetizer just now, Balthazar had very little appetite left and decided to order a simple chicken salad, keeping in mind a few of the soups available just in case he underestimated his stomach, though he doubted he did. As for his partner, the shorten man went for a steak with sauce and baked potato.

While waiting for their order, Balthazar found himself mindlessly looking around the restaurant. As his eyes wandered to a table on the opposite side of the room, the tall man froze. At the table was sitting a man, seemingly waiting for someone. He seemed to be in his thirties, and there wasn’t anything particular about his appearance, except for one thing : the man was well-built. He clearly worked out, his muscles more than visible despite the vest he was wearing. He had quite the strong jawline as well !

“Balth ?”

It wasn’t until Vinnie called his name that Balthazar realized he had been staring. Quickly, he turned back to the other man who was now himself glancing at the other side of the room, curious as to what caught his partner’s attention. His eyes widen at the realization.

“Man, this guy’s hot.”, Vinnie whispered to his husband.

“He really is.”, Balthazar replied, eyes darting between Vinnie and the man. It was in an instant of regret that he noticed the smirk forming on the shorter man’s face.

“Let’s go talk to him.”, Vinnie suggested, already getting up.

“What ?! Dako-Vinnie ! We can’t just walk up to him like that !”, the taller man half-shouted half-whispered.

“Why not ? He’s alone. Who wouldn’t like a little hello ?”

“Vinnie !”, before Balthazar could protest further, his partner crossed the room to greet the man. The taller man buried his head in his hands, looking at the scene through his fingers.

Balthazar had always had a…keen interest, in this type of men. Strong men, that was. He sometimes still had dreams about strong, muscular men, who could easily sweep the tall man off his feet, if not crush him with their strength. At the same time, he imagined them respectful and sensible, willing to lend an ear while not afraid to drop their own guard down. Such a man would be protective as well, but not in a controlling way. He could make Balthazar feel secured and taken care of as well as listened to and respected. And all his worries could disappear when he would be standing in those strong, safe arms…

Of course, it was all nothing more than a fantasy. Such a man would never exist, he was more than aware of that. In fact, more than two decades ago now…it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to think about it. Not tonight…Not ever…

…

Despite how he still reacted to men who worked out daily, Balthazar had no intention to seek any kind of romantic relationship with them. He was already more than satisfied with his current marriage, after all ! This physical attraction could never match the love he had for his spouse. No matter how often Balthazar would be annoyed with his man, he wouldn’t trade Vinnie for the world. Besides, muscular or not, Balthazar would always adore the feeling of holding his teddy bear-shaped husband in his arms. There was simply a welcoming warmth and softness that was unique to the short man !

Nonetheless, it didn’t stop the tall man from feeling his heart beat faster whenever he was near any man that had a strong build, just like the one his partner was now heading towards.

Vinnie had always been amused by this hidden side of Balthazar’s personality, and had no qualms teasing him about it. But surely going to talk to a man during a date while he’s seemingly waiting for someone was going a little too far, wasn’t it ?!

Balthazar could do nothing but look, mortified, as Vinnie engaged the man in conversation. At first, the man raised an eyebrow when Vinnie caught his attention, but his expression was quick to soften as he agreed to amuse the shorter man.

At some point, Vinnie looked back and frowned when his eyes landed on Balthazar. Then, he turned back to the other man, pointing at his partner. Balthazar tried to hide his face even more. He could very easily picture the shorter man introducing him while commenting about how great his husband was and how much he loved him. This couldn’t be any more embarrassing…

Eventually, Vinnie came back to their table.

“Nice guy.”, the short man said.

“What did you two even talk about ?!”, Balthazar asked in a low voice. From Vinnie’s amused expression, the taller man knew he was blushing.

“We just told each other why we were here.”, his partner explained. “He said he’s having a date with a girl he met on a dating app. He came early so now he’s waiting for her.”

“And what did you tell him ?”, despite the nice evening bringing his mood up earlier, Vinnie’s action was strongly frustrating him.

“Not much. Just that I was also on a date with that cute guy that I call my husband.~”, Vinnie rested his head on his hand, gazing at Balthazar lovingly. But as he noticed the glare he was receiving, his expression morphed into one of guilt. “It’s no big deal, you know ?”, he sheepishly shrugged. “It’s not like we’ll ever talk to the guy again…”

Before Balthazar could reply, the waiter arrived with their food. Balthazar gave one last scolding glance to his regretful-looking partner and moved to his food, trying to forget the whole situation.

He wasn’t going to let such a trivial thing make his day end on a bad note !

---------------

Aside from the small accident with Vinnie talking to the other man despite Balthazar’s protests, their meal went rather well. The couple talked about the few activities they did when they weren’t spending their free-time together, along with some plans they could have for the future. They didn’t mention the money they would spend on said plans tough. Balthazar tried to keep the conversation light-hearted. He didn’t want to drag the mood down. And from the looks of it, neither did Vinnie.

When it was time for dessert, Vinnie suggested that Balthazar should either order the most expensive thing on the menu or ask for some special birthday cake. And while Balthazar liked the idea, he decided to settle for something smaller, indulging his sweet tooth with a molten lava chocolate cake as a treat. On his end, his husband went for a slice of tiramisu.

With how little appetite he had left, Balthazar only took a few bites off his cake, happy to give what was left to Vinnie. It wouldn’t hurt the shorter man much, as it was a small dessert. Balthazar didn’t like things going to waste anyways, and his partner tolerated it even less.

Once they were given the bill, Vinnie paid, just like he promised. Not that it mattered much, but the gesture was still greatly appreciated. Balthazar gazed at his partner, enjoying feeling pampered, even if it was only a small act. And with everything said and done, the couple exited the restaurant.

“So, what did you think of your birthday this year ?”, Vinnie asked once they were outside. The sun was slowly setting, casting golden colors onto the streets, making Vinnie shine due to his tracksuit. The sight made Balthazar smile.

“It might not have been the most incredible birthday I ever had, but it was quite the pleasant day nonetheless.”, the taller man replied, trying not to think of all the places and times they could have gone to had things been different. “I truly had a great time. It felt good to simply be able to relax for once.”, now that he thought about it, ever since the end of their shift earlier, he did manage to prevent any fear or responsibility from crossing his mind.

“You know, the day’s not over yet.”, Vinnie commented. He grinned at his partner. “If you want to make it even better, we can go back home, lie down for a bit. Maybe have a little fun.~”, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

For a moment, Balthazar considered it. It had been months since they last did it, and Vinnie recently made it clear that he was getting frustrated over it. But between how fragile their lock was and the lack of isolation of their walls…

His hesitation must have shown on his face, given how Vinnie’s grin turned into a frown. Balthazar sent an apologetic look that his husband replied to with a shrug, dropping the topic to focus on where he was going. Balthazar was quick to hold his hand and squeeze it, hoping his partner understood.

“I think I had enough fun for the day.”, Balthazar still ended up saying. “But I’ll keep the thought in mind.”

This was enough to make his partner smile again, and the two men went back to walking in silence towards their office. At some point, Balthazar noticed how the shorter man kept glancing at him occasionally, his partner’s pleased smile never faltering. Balthazar raised an eyebrow.

“I love you, you know that ?”, Vinnie said out of the blue, surely after noticing his partner was looking at him.

Balthazar nodded, as if it wasn’t the 30th time Vinnie was proclaiming his love today. Not that he minded. “I love you too. And I have to thank you for today. After all, it was your idea to take it slow. And it was wonderful. In fact, it was the most peaceful day I ever had since we got stuck in this place !”

Vinnie looked like he was about to protest for a second but ended up letting out a “You’re welcome, hon.”, instead. The short man rested his head on his partner’s shoulder. It was all it took for the taller man to grab his face with his free hand and kiss him. Only after pulling away did Balthazar remember they were in public. He quickly withdrew, putting some distance between them. Though, he refused to let go of Vinnie’s hand.

As their office came into view, one last idea crossed Balthazar’s mind.

“…On second thought, I wouldn’t mind finishing the day with one last activity. How would you feel about watching a movie ?”

“It’d be great ! I’ll get the popcorn and the blankets, you choose the movie and grab the pajamas and Dennis !”

“Sounds good to me.”

“…We’re going to end up watching one of those cliché romance things, aren’t we ?”

“Maybe…Unless this is an issue for you ?”

“Nah. I’m good. Anything for you, hon.~”

“…Actually, given the time, I’m not sure a romantic movie would be the best choice. Maybe something historical would be better ? Or science-fiction ?”

“Yeah, it’d be pretty funny to see how this time-period thinks the future looks like !”

“It would. And you know, it’s not that late into the night yet. I’m sure we could have enough time for a second movie of your choice. Or even start a series ? It’s the least I can do in exchange for the dinner.”

“Dinner was my treat.”

“Well this movie will be mine !”

“Alright, alright. Heh. No need to get so excited.”

“Good. Glad that’s settled then…By the way, I believe this will be the perfect occasion to share this specific brand of snacks you grew to love so much and that I may or may not have secretly bought for you recently.~”

“Man, this is why I love you so much !~”

#Milo Murphy's Law #Cavendish Appreciation Day #Dakavendish #Balthazar Cavendish #Vinnie Dakota #Cavendish Appreciation Day 2021 #mml #ADHD Dakota #my fanfics #Fluff #gotta say I'm not that satisfied with this one : /#I'm just bad at fluff honestly #I guess at least I'm trying to get better at it

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problematicfavesareproblematic · 3 years

Text

On Days Like This (part 5)

Carwood Lipton x Reader

Warnings: survivors guilt, comfort, a disgusting amount of fluff, a sick and sad mother of Easy Company doing his very best, some random dialogue, a lack of forward progression but I’m still proud of it for some reason

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You wake up to the smell of cigarette smoke and for a few moments you think you are back in the makeshift hospital you’d been taken to in Foy.

It’s the feeling of Carwood’s heartbeat against your cheek that brings it all back for you- how you’d snuck out from under the aggressive nurse’s nose during her shift change and managed to bully your way onto a supply truck headed to Hagenau, dressed in a combination of pilfered wool sweaters and a set of fatigues you’d collected from the bodies of fallen soldiers.

You’d stolen some boots from the supply truck, and when they’d threatened to tell your superior officer you’d informed them that they were more than welcome to do so, as long as they were prepared for your SO to also be told that the supply truck had been delayed a day because it’s drivers wanted to engage in one last sexual encounter with the nurses who’d welcomed them into their beds.

The two men hadn’t bothered you after that.

The moment after you’d reconnected with Nix and Sink, you’d gone to find Car.

Just from the way he’d broken down upon seeing you again, you knew that he’d lost some sense of himself in the time you’d been apart. It broke your heart. It had taken everything in you not to cry as well.

But Carwood had needed you to be strong, and you had decided long ago that you would do anything for him.

If that meant holding him as he cried himself back to sleep in the first mattress you’d shared since your time in Georgia, then so be it.

When you allowed one eye to peek open, you found that the smell of smoke wasn’t coming from somewhere outside the room- but rather from Carwood himself.

You watched for a moment as he lifted the white stick he’d once called a cancer tube to his lips and pull from it like he’d been doing it for years, a memory of him chastising you for lighting one up beside his cot after he’d been wounded in Carentan flickering in your mind’s eye.

Taking a deep breath, you allow your ribs to expand as you arch your back in a creaking stretch, the movement alerting Carwood of your wakefulness.

“Hm, never thought I’d see the day Clifford Carwood Lipton would willingly smoke a cigarette…”

His light chuckle is warm against your ear, the arm that he’d wrapped around you pulling you close into him and his fingers prodding your ribs playfully until you yelp and attempt to roll away from it.

Car leans over the side of the bed to stamp out the cigarette and set it down, shaking his head slightly as he exhales the remaining smoke in his lungs through pursed lips.

Before he can reply to your teasing, a body-racking cough has him sitting up and trying to catch his breath, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and bracing his elbows on his knees to combat the force of the hacking.

You frown, pushing yourself up to sit behind him and wrap yourself around his back, pressing a kiss between his shoulders once his coughing subsides before resting your cheek there.

“Got the black lung already?”

He sniffs, clearing his throat a few more times before sighing deeply.

“Doc says it’s pneumonia. Not much he can do.”

You hum at that, closing your eyes as you listen to the strong thud of his heart again.

“You should’ve told me you were hurt.”

Opening your eyes, you lift your head from his back, furrowing your brows at his admonishment.

“Huh?”

Lip turns enough that he can face you side-on, his tired eyes looking even more exhausted as he nods his head guilty at your arm.

Looking at your right arm, you take in the large lump of bandages wrapped around your bicep, the gauze beneath the sleeve of your sweater making it look almost comically swollen. The three bullets they’d pulled from your arm still remain in a pouch, buried near the body of your knapsack.

“Car,” you sigh, ready to assure him that you’re perfectly fine and that it’s nothing and that he doesn’t need to worry about you. But, judging by the way he narrows his dark eyes at you, you decide it’s best not to argue the point any further.

“I could’ve hurt you, Y/N! You should’ve said something, shouldn’t of let me grab at you like that—”

“Well, sorry that I was so excited to see the man I love that I didn’t think to give you a full medical report.” you snap, shaking your head and rubbing a hand over your face. “I’ll be sure to remember that from now on….”

Lip clenches his jaw and curses under his breath, raking a hand through his mussed hair before mumbling your name softly and taking your hand from your face to hold it between his.

“I didn’t mean it like that, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”

When you continue to stare at a point over his shoulder Car sighs and turns to face you further.

You allow his hands to come up and hold your face, eyes flickering to meet his remorseful ones and biting the inside of your cheek.

“You’re right, I’m sorry...Hey, c’mon.”

The press of his forehead against yours is sweet, despite the fact that you can feel the fever radiating from his skin.

“I just get worried, you know. I missed you so much—”

You shake your head, pulling your forehead back from his so you can press a kiss to his hairline.

“I do. I know. I’m sorry, too.”

With your uninjured arm, you brush your cooler fingers across his cheek, feeling a bit guilty for snapping at him.

You wondered if a day would come when the two of you would stop having to worry about each other. These days, it was hard to imagine a life consisting of anything other than loss and pain and heavy exhaustion.

At the feeling of tears rolling over your fingers, you pull back to look at him with concern.

“Lip?”

“I’m so glad that you weren’t there.”

Your throat feels tight, immediately knowing what he’s referring to.

Your torment at the hands of the German army was nothing compared to the horrors you’d heard occurring in the forest Lip had been in. whatever earth-shaking fear you had experienced second hand couldn’t ever hold a candle to what it must’ve felt like to Easy and Dog Companies.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered, ignoring the slight twinge of discomfort in your other arm and bringing your other hand to his face to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I’m just….I’m so fucking sorry, Sweetheart—”

He’s apologizing again, and you know that he’s not simply apologizing to you for crying in your arms.

With devastating sobs, he tells you about all of it- of Buck and Toye and WIld Bill. you pull him to lean against you when he cries for Muck and Penkala, the other eighty-two lives that had been snatched away from this world while he’d ‘cowardly hid in a hole’ the whole time.

You don’t interrupt him, tears of your own welling in your eyes but unwilling to let them fall.

He needs this, he needs this, I can be strong for him

When he does pull away from you, he’s red-faced and his eyes are swollen, weakly repeating how sorry he is. You kiss him as softly as he had kissed you for the first time in Toccoa, inhaling sharply when he pulls your face closer and smashes your lips to his almost painfully.

You stroke at his face when he pulls away, letting him catch his breath in his own time.

When he starts coughing again you reach blindly around his feet until you find his canteen, giving him an appreciative smile when he helps you sit back up again.

He drinks dutifully, closing his eyes and letting his head roll from side to side as he swallows.

As you bring his once abandoned cigarette to your lips and relight it with the lighter you’d also managed to find, Lip looks over at you and sighs a weak laugh.

“You shouldn’t do that, young lady,” he jokes hollowly, taking the cigarette from between your fingers and taking a puff before putting it out again. “It isn’t good for you.”

Smiling at the ridiculousness of it, you blow the little smoke you’d managed to get into his face.

“You’re lucky I like you, otherwise I’d hit you, you handsome hypocrite.”

With a soft groan, you swing your legs around so you’re sitting beside him, your thigh pressed against his as you mirror his pose. Car brings your hand into his and laces your fingers together.

“In the interest of being candid, I should probably tell you that I’ve lost three toes since we’ve last seen each other—”

“What?”

His head whips to the side to look at you in surprise, gaping at the casual shrug you offer in explanation.

“Frostbite is a bitch….”

Carwood opens his mouth to protest your nonchalance, before seeming to think better of it and shooting you a glare.

“Well, as long as we’re being honest, I might as well tell you that I’ve been promoted.”

You feel your face drop in surprise for a moment before you grin like an idiot, bringing his hand to your lips and kissing it excitedly.

“Lieutenant Clifford Carwood Lipton,” you murmur, liking the way the title tastes on your tongue.

“Just wait till my mother hears that I’ve snagged myself a Lieutenant—!”

When Car rolls his eyes you press a quick kiss to his cheek.

The dead may always hang over your heads, and maybe they’re meant to.

But, for right now, the two of you have never felt more alive.

And that was more than enough.

~ ~ ~

( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ here we be, kids. I love you bbs and will fight for your honor any day of the week (just not Mondays at 11am, bc Mama has therapy)

Taglist: @mrseasycompany @itswormtrain @mrsalwayswrite @happyveday @sunsetmando @teenmagazines @liebgotttme

#band of brothers imagines #band of brothers x reader #carwood lipton x reader #carwood lipton imagines

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luca-moreno · 3 years

Text

So nonna Nico wanted a family dinner before Ethan leaves the Berlin

aka ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Luca doesn’t really know why he gets pulled in along with Marie for the odd little family dinner Zeus insisted on. Marie mutters something about an insurance policy when he asks and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to him but it means another one of Zeus’s home cooked meals and he won’t say no to that.

Plus, Ben will be there.

There’s tension in the room and around the table where they all sit. Tension and long silences while they wait for Zeus to dish out the food. There’s a semi circle of phoenix and the commander reigns at the head of the table like a sharp eyed Queen watching over her army.

Luca happily finds himself sandwiched between Ben on one side and Ajax, glowering and clearly unhappy with life on the other. Then there’s Mason and the final phoenix, Luca can’t remember the name of but vaguely recalls from the Commander’s party in the club. Pike maybe? Lance? Some kind of ancient earth weapon he might have read about in a history book somewhere.

He nudges Ben under the table, willing his face not to get all pink when his knee brushes against him.

(Which one is he again?) Luca signs, trying to be subtle and knowing he’s failed when the man in question’s gaze falls to him.

“Ethan,” Ben says easily. “Sabre. Big brother,” he adds proudly.

Luca’s gaze shifts between them then he kinda squints. He vaguely remembers that from their scamper in the hall trying to spy. “Wait. You don’t look alike.”

“Adopted,” Ethan cuts in smoothly, making Luca jump. He detects something in the phoenix’s tone. Humor maybe? Not hostility, which was a nice change for once. He decides then that he likes Sabre with his pretty hair and a jawline that could cut glass – and whew! He really has no business being that attractive but then phoenix, so Luca figures he’ll allow it.

Plus he’s really good at making Ben laugh.

“Huh,” he shrugs. “Okay.”

Silence falls over the table again. Luca twitches, drums his fingers on the edge of the table lightly until Mason narrows his eyes at him and he quickly snatches them back. He’s hungry and bored and jittery with too many freakishly still apex predators in the room when he feels like squishy prey and he sinks back in his chair and huffs with enough force to blow his curls off his face.

He scoops up his spoon and tries to balance it on his nose and wonders again why he’s there.

“Why me?” He had asked Marie on the walk to the little room she had secured for them. She paused on the other side of the sealed door and gave him an amused glance.

“Because with you there, they’re less likely to tear each other apart and for some obscure reason I can’t even begin to understand, it’s really important to Nic.”

“I thought you said they were family. Why would they tear each other apart?”

Marie’s face falls and she looks sort of sad. “Brothers by circumstances, not choice.”

Luca shrugged. “Aren’t all families like that?”

“Not all. Besides,” Marie continues with a small hum. “I think you’re probably the only other person on this boat who isn’t scared of them.”

It’s not true, not by a long shot but it had made Luca laugh anyway. “Yeah, because they know they have to go through to you get to me. And you’re scarier than all of them.”

Marie cuffed him lightly on the shoulder as she laughs – definitely not a very commandery thing to do – which is just reason nine million and twenty six thousand why Luca adored her so much. “I’m going to take that as a compliment, Ensign.”

“One of the highest order, ma’am,” Luca tells her seriously, adjusting the strap on his guitar just as the door opens.

Another quiet moment ticks by. Luca is almost cross eyed by the time his spoon drops into his lap. “Do you ever think about how spoons are just tiny bowls with sticks attached to them?”

There’s silence and it stretches. Luca glances around the table and finds a multitude of pinched faces. Ajax looks mad, Ben looks delighted, the Commander looks like she’s praying to the gods for deliverance as she breathes deeply through her nose, Sabre’s expression are calculating but surprisingly, it’s Mason that loses it first.

He turns his face into Sabre’s side, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Sabre’s lips twitch once then twice before he joins in. Then Ben, then Marie, and then Zeus even rumbles something. Ajax is the only one who doesn’t laugh, glaring around the table like he wants to murder them all as slowly and as painfully as possible. Luca shuffles ever so slightly closer to Ben. Marie was wrong, he thinks. He was a little scared of Ajax. Just a tiny bit, but he’s pretty sure Ben could take him if it came to that.

“Va bene,” Zeus booms. “Time to eat. Mangia!”

It’s easier when the food is in front of them. Luca helps Ben scoop out something red and cheesy, adding an extra dollop to his plate with a grin. “I know what you guys are like,” he whispers then does the same to Ajax just to stay on his good side.

The food seems to make them all relax, but only just.

“This is so fucking weird,” Ajax mutters around a mouthful of pasta.

Luca looks at the twirly shapes on his plate, drenched in quite possibly the tastiest sauce he’s ever come across. Even Mar’vera, the Asari that manned the roadside kiosk near his father’s place on the wards didn’t have stuff that tasted as good as this.

“Isn’t this pasta stuff a big thing back on Earth?”

“Not the food, idiot,” Ajax says it without any heat. He shovels in another mouthful as he gestures around the table.

Luca looks around curiously at the phoenix assembled there. “Oh. Why? Didn’t you do this all the time back in… phoenix land?”

“That’s not actually a thing, Luca,” Mason says with a snort. “Neither is phoenix school.”

“He means Phoenix One,” Marie cuts in, shooting Mason a look.

“Yeah,” Luca nods and waves his fork. A glob of sauce goes flying, narrowly missing Sabre. Luca’s pretty sure he would have to sleep with one eye open if that glob had ended up on a his very expensive looking outfit and he gulps nervously. “That.” He chews. “Wait, what’s Phoenix One?”

There’s an uncomfortable glance around the table when suddenly they all find their plates very interesting. Luca looks at Marie but she offers a small little shrug and keeps eating.

“Um…”

“It’s… complicated, Luc,” Mason says, not meeting his eye.

“Is it?” Luca wants to turn to Ben but he’s not oblivious to the way the vanguard beside him hunches over so he shrugs and stabs his pasta and chews enthusiastically instead. These phoenix guys were weird.

There’s a little stilted conversation around the table that Luca and Marie try to carry, but it’s still awkward. Mason and Sabre share too many sidelong looks and small smiles and Luca almost wonders if everyone should clear out and give them the room. He tries not to stare and leans in towards Ben, whispering out the corner of his mouth.

“I guess the divorce is off?”

Ben blinks in confusion before Luca jerks his head then realization dawns. Ben nods his head happily. He leans in close and Luca has to concentrate hard on what he says instead of getting distracted by how warm he is and how he smells far too earthy for being surrounded by the vacuum of space. “Archer,” he whispers. “Other brother. Talked sense and cooked brain food.”

Luca has no idea what that means but he’s utterly enthralled regardless. “Oh,” he says, like it’s the most amazing thing he’s ever heard but only because it is because Ben and he really likes the way Ben’s eyes kind of crinkle at the corners when he smiles and the way his canines seem a little sharper than the average human and the way his skin-

There’s a nudge against his boot that snaps him out of it and he looks up to see Sabre eying him with amusement.

“You were drooling,” he says, then flicks a napkin at Luca’s direction courtesy of a blue haze.

“What?” Luca squeaks as the napkin smacks him fair in the face.

“Are we going to have to give this kid the shovel talk?” Sabre asks no one in particular. Luca doesn’t know what a talking shovel is but it can’t be good and he shoots a panicked look in Marie’s direction.

“No,” she says firmly, fingers white around the stem of her wine glass. “We do not.”

“No shovel,” Ben says sternly, glaring at Sabre and Luca shoots him a grateful look.

“Um, thank… thank you?”

Ben knocks his shoulder and goes back to eating. Like almost everyone else at the table, he’s well onto his second serve.

“Marie, what’s this kid’s qualifications. Is he up to the job?”

“I’m going to be polite and pretend you didn’t just ask me that, Sinclair.”

“He’s one of Marie’s,” Mason reminds him. “So we know he’s solid.”

“Uh, hello? I’m right here,” Luca snaps irritably. What the hell? He’s about to open his mouth to complain some more but Ben leans over and he’s immediately distracted by the heat radiating off him.

“You get used to it. They do this a lot.”

Sabre looks momentarily offended by that. “Ben.”

Ben shrugs and licks the sauce off his fingers. “It’s true. Because youngest.”

“Because we’re supposed to look out for you.”

Mason chuckles and reaches for his glass. “Remember that time we took Ben to that strip club for his birthday?”

“That was definitely one of our more brilliant idea,” Sabre says mildly. Mason gives him an incredulous look.

“Okay, you and I remember that night very differently, Eth.”

Sabre’s slow smile has a distinctly predatory edge to it. “Do we?”

“Wait, you took him to a strip club?” Marie blinks and Mason bristles slightly.

“It was his birthday.”

“Oh my god,” she laughs behind her hand, like she knows something the rest of them don’t. Mason grins then.

“Oh, you’ve heard this one before, huh?”

“No, but I can only imagine with you involved.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” Marie waves her hand. “Continue.”

“I’m not sure I should now,” Mason mutters and Luca isn’t sure if he should be alarmed or not that the supposed leader of the fiercest human biotics in the galaxy pouts. Actually pouts, with the bottom lip and everything.

“Mason let him get drunk and then he ended up on stage with the dancers,” Zeus suddenly rumbles, cutting in to the conversation. Marie lets out a peel of laughter and Mason curses. “It was a riot. Had to pay for damages before they would let us leave.”

Ben looks confused. “Did I break something?”

“Only a lot of hearts, Benji,” Ethan chuckles indulgently and Mason snickers.

Luca tries very hard not to picture what the phoenix beside him would look like on a stage in colorful strobing lights and very little clothing in case his brain short circuits.

It does anyway.

“Uh,” he manages faintly. His voice suddenly feels like it’s coming from very far away.

“He ate the foliage on P1 too, once.”

Mason exhales heavily. “Phew, yeah. Now that was a rough night.”

That seems to snap Luca’s attention back and he eyes Ben and wonders if he needs to reconsider his crush. “You’re not gonna try to eat Meli, are you?”

There’s a little chirp in the corner from the drone when it hears its name. Ben cackles. “No, too spiky.”

“So was this your plan?” Sabre looks up from his glass as he addresses Zeus. “Get us all together to reminisce about old times?” His tone is faintly mocking but Zeus doesn’t react other than to pause his eating.

Ajax lets out a bark of brittle laughter. “Just hope that Huntsman doesn’t try to make another one of his fucking speeches.”

“Get fucked, Ajax,” Mason tells him cheerfully.

“We’re all hoping for that, Huntsman.”

Mason opens his mouth only for Marie to wave her knife threateningly in his direction. “Don’t fucking say it, Mase.”

Mason throws his hands up. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says but Luca hardly knows Mason from a bar of soap and even he recognizes that’s a lie.

“You’ll have to tell me the story behind that one later,” Luca hears Sabre whisper before pulling Mason in for a kiss.

“And there goes my fucking appetite,“ Ajax mutters, shooting daggers across the table.

Mason looks like he’s about to snap something else but Sabre’s hand lands on his knee. There’s a lowly uttered, babe and then just like that, Mason’s bristle fades. Luca was starting to understand why Marie had been concerned. Insurance policy, she had said but he’s not so sure a nobody like him would be able to do much if this lot decided to go to war.

RIP the SSV Berlin, Luca thinks. The captain will be pissed.

“This is the first time we’ve ever done this,” Zeus rumbles suddenly. His voice isn’t overly loud but it seems to carry across the room and make them all sink into their seats. Zeus scans his golden eyes around the table, skimming over each face until he stops and settles on Ben. “All of us.”

Ajax scoffs into the silence. “Fucking sentimental bullsh-“

“Maddy,” Marie hisses and Luca realizes with a start she looks like she’s on the verge of tearing up. Evidently Ajax realizes it too because he curses under his breath and sits back, arms folded tight across his chest and blue eyes simmering with ire he’s only just keeping in check.

Mason pushes aside his plate and gives up all semblance of good humor. He leans against Sabre. “The last time, at this rate.”

“So dramatic, Huntsman,” Ajax can’t resist a final dig.

Mason makes a visible effort to swallow his retort. Luca wonders curiously what would have happened if Sabre hadn’t been there. He shivers with the crackle of energy in the air, the latent biotics making his teeth ache again. It was going to fuck with his aids, he’s sure of it.

“We’re the only ones left,” Zeus continues. “Like it or not. There’s only us.”

“We’re not some fucking brady bunch, Zeus,” Ajax snaps. “Fuck this. I’ll go, then it really will be like old times-“

“No!” Ben jumps up, grips Ajax’s arm tight. “No, stay.”

“Aw, fuck, Scoots. This isn’t… It’s not you, okay.”

“Stay,” Ben sits Ajax down roughly and Luca has enough sense to shove the last of the pasta in his direction. He almost smiles as he takes it. At least Luca likes to think it’s a smile. It’s barely even a grimace, just a tight stretch of his lips over sharp teeth but there’s a collective easing of tension around the table.

“Hey,” Luca says brightly into the silence. “Wanna hear a song?”

#I don’t know but it is but this is what happens when I’m left unattended in another time zone apparently #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#scooter roosevelt #marie miller #ethan sinclair #maddox gibbons #mason knight #luca moreno #ssv berlin #you know luca went ahead and played heathens too #smh

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anastasiyaigorevnadobrodevskaya · 3 years

Text

Savior (Series 81) - Erik Černák

(This GIF is mine, but feel free to share his beautiful smile. *wink*)

I whish you a wonderful day. I decided to finally post this thing. It is the very first part of a little project of mine. I named it Series 81 (yes very creative of me, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and it is a serie of oneshots, which should make sense without reading the other parts. I am creating a new universe for this serie and all of the Series 81 oneshots will be from the same AU. Does that make sense? No? Too bad. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Part 1 of Series 81

Word count: 2577

Noise, lights, people and alcohol.

Loud music bouncing off of the isolated underground walls, to prevent the noise complaints from coming, is blending together with the voices of dancers. Dancers, who would stubbornly claim, that the sound was actually singing. If you asked anyone else, they would tell you the exact opposite.

Flashing lights could cause more than one seizure to an epileptic, but make no worries to the tipsy dancers. The dance floor is flooded by not the smallest amount of bodies per say. Only one spot remains almost empty. In the very corner, next to the DJ booth. Just a few seconds prior it was occupied by a group of young girls, dancing their night away. Gradually they slipped away to go god knows where. Safe for one.

Little blond girl is suddenly left all alone, her friends excusing themselves with a promise to be right back. They aren't. But the creepy looking guy, who's been eyeing her the entire night, is. Now he is trying to get closer to her, but she's not having any of that. She makes the bee-line for their table. However, the table is now claimed by some strangers with drinks in hands. She huffs and turns on her heel. He's still looking. More like staring.

She fidgets with her phone and clicks the contact icon. No signal. Is this some kind of a sick joke or bad karma? She thinks. She runs up the stairs and next to the very entrance, the signal is back.

The number is dialed and it rings.

She doesn't pick up.

"Why the hell can't she pick up the damn phone when I need her?" she mumbles desperately under her breath. Suddenly she remembers. Her jacket. It was left forgotten in the booth filled with strangers. She goes back. Speed-walking by the pair of eyes making her skin crawl. She asks for her jacket. When she is handed the jacket she makes a run for the bathroom. In the tiny space she splashes her face with water. It’s times like these she is really grateful for not wearing any make up at all.

She stays there for a little longer than necessary, hoping that by the time she leaves her friends will have returned already.

When she emerges and walks over to the dance floor she is met only with the disgusting stare again. She turns on her heel to leave, but is met with a hard surface she is pretty sure wasn't here couple of seconds ago. A yelp escapes her mouth and she takes a step back.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The hard surface is in fact a broad chest of a tall man standing in front of her. She takes in his features. Light hair, or so she assumes since it is pretty dark in the club, besides the flashing lights. His shoulders are wide and that face...

Recognition flashes in her eyes. Her lips form an "o".

The voice speaks again. This time in English instead of her native language.

"I am fine." She finally responds, in Slovak. "I'm sorry I didn't see you I was... " she trails off. Trying to get away from that creepy dude over here. She thinks.

"Which one?" he looks around.

"What?"

"That creepy guy. Is that him?" he jabs his chin behind her. She looks over her shoulder briefly.

"Yeah," she nods.

"I'm Erik, by the way." says the not so mysterious man and extends his hand to her.

"Lucia," she accepts his hand.

"So, you want some help getting rid of him?"

"I- yeah, actually yes." She mentally face palms for tripping over her own words. He only smiles.

"Would you like to dance?" He offers. She gives him a small nod. She is led towards the dance floor with her hand in his, which makes her heart rate quicken. But not the same way like when she was followed by the creepy gaze. The blaring music pulses trough her veins while she does her best to forget the weird guy. Having Erik as a distraction right in front of her helps a lot, though. The way his eyes stay glued on her face makes her insides warm. His gaze flicks behind her and he reaches for her. He grabs her waist and leans in.

"He's looking." He talks over the music.

"So you're doing it only because he is watching us and you are definitely not using the situation to your advantage." She muses.

"I might be." A smirk stretches on his lips.

Her hands wrap around his neck and her smirk mirrors his own. The roaring noise makes her almost deaf, yet she swears she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's what his cocky little smirk and touch do to her. She might have just met him, but she's realised one thing the moment she met his gaze. She's fucked and under his spell. She might be a little shy, but she sure as hell ain't giving up that easily. Two can play this game.

Her palm slides down his chest and back up to his arm. She traces the muscles on his arm all the way down towards his wrist. She grabs it and brings it in the air. She makes him twirl like men do to women while they dance. Erik laughs, but plays along. A smile makes its way on her features. He takes her hands. He turns her in his arms, with her arms crossed over her chest. He leans down to her ear.

"Why are you here alone?" his breath fans her neck, making a shiver run down her back.

"I am not alone," she turns and pushes his chest. His hand reaches for her wrist before she can get too far.

He spins her and brings her back to him. Putting his hands on her waist she places her small ones on his broad shoulders.

"I take it there is no boyfriend to worry about."

"If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't need you in the first place," she answers confidently.

He squeezes her hips dragging her closer. His lips grazing the delicate skin of her exposed neck while he speaks his next words."You sure do run your mouth."

The breath gets caught in her throat. "But you like it," he doesn't miss the teasing in her words. A deep groan rumbles in his chest. She might not hear it, but she does feel it under her fingers.

A familiar song comes through the speakers and she pulls away a bit. She grabs his hands and smiles big. She starts waving around their conjoined hands like a mad person. Apparently this is her dance style.

When his gaze falls upon her moving figure he smiles just as wide. He's just gotten back home from Tampa and decided to blow off some steam in a club with his friends. It's been a long season and corona delaying the playoffs sure as hell made this summer different. Thank goodness for having the bars and clubs open, with limited capacity of course. Tonight he won't be thinking about hockey, though.

Who would have thought that after everything that is happening around him he would quite literally stumble upon a woman like Lucia.

Behind Erik she spots her friends coming back in. They haven't noticed her yet, but are looking around. She slips away from his grip.

"I have to go." She looks away from his piercing gaze and makes a move to step around him.

"Wait," he catches her arm gently. "Don't run away from me. Even Cinderella left a shoe behind," he smiles.

"Smooth." The corner of her lips tugs up into a devilish smirk. "Give me your best pick-up line and I just might leave something behind."

He pauses, thinking. Then he opens his mouth as he speaks. "I've got one, but it's in English," he rubs the back of his neck. Suddenly seeming out of place.

"Try me."

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

This one is her favourite. If it's finished correctly, that is.

"No, I actually crawled from hell," she gives him an innocent smile. This is the part where she tests him.

"So that's why you're so damn hot." If it wasn't his words, then it was the smirk what did it for her. Lucia motions for Erik to hand her his phone. He happily obliges. She goes to his apps and adds herself on snapchat. He didn't think he would get her number that easily, did he?

"Here," she pushes the small box into his palm. She stands on her tiptoes and leans on his shoulder. She quickly presses a kiss to his cheek and disappears as if she's never been there. But she was. And the proof is now in his phone.

"There you are. Where were you?" one of her friends, a short brunette, asks her as soon as she approaches their group.

"Me? All of you disappeared and left me here alone. Which reminds me. Where the fuck were you?" She jumps into the defence mode immediately.

"I told you I went out to buy cigarettes. Calm down," the girl resists to roll her eyes.

"Wanna dance?" a tall equally brown-haired girl asks.

"Sure," all of them answer as one. The girls make their way to the dance floor. From the very center where they managed to squeeze in, Lucia catches a familiar par of eyes. And then another, one she would rather forget. She fixes him with a glare and resumes her dance moves. Her favourite song comes up and she squeals. She leans toward her friends. "This is my song." She yells over the loud music. They all laugh, but scream the lyrics on the top of their lungs with her.

Suddenly Lucia feels a presence behind her. She tenses, her eyes crying for help. But her friends are too busy to actually notice that. Hands settling on her waist finally get a reaction out of her. She spins pushing his chest. She is in the middle of the process of raising her hand when she realises who it is.

"Do riti Erik! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, but that guy was getting close again so I thought I'd give you a hand, " he smiles innocently.

"Or two hands on my waist, right?" she raises her brows, a smirk stretching on her lips.

"Didn't think you'd mind,"mirroring her expression he extends his arm towards her. "Shall we dance?"

Before she has the chance to grab his outstretched hand her friends are dragging her away. She grimaces kind of apologetically.

"I'll see you,"she mouths. Yeah, in the friking TV. She thinks bitterly.

After a rather long walk through the town they finally get to the bus stop. Maybe and maybe not four police cars go by and maybe and maybe not one of them actually stops to ask if everything is okay. Because maybe and maybe not some of the girls were dancing on the bus stop.

When Lucia finally gets on the bus she fishes her phone out of her purse. She takes a pic of the darkness behind the bus window and posts it on snapchat.

Erik.Cernak

Are you going by bus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

Are you alone in a bus at night??

Lucyy

I mean, there are some people in the bus...

Erik.Cernak

What bus are you on?

Lucyy

N1 why?

Erik.Cernak

Do you get off on the terminus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

If anything happens during the bus ride text me okay?

Lucyy

Okay.

He is worried about me?

Why, yes. Erik is indeed worried about Lucia. Finding out a pretty girl from the club is going home alone in the dark, sure does make one feel unsettling to say the least.

The bus ride goes rather smoothly. It's just the fact that the guy sitting a few rows in front of Lucia on a seat facing her keeps looking at her. To say it makes her stomach bubble with uneasiness would be an understatement. The closer to the terminus the bus gets the emptier the bus is.

When it's time to get off it's only her and another older lady sitting in the very back. She steps outside into the dark of the night and looks around to make sure no danger is waiting around.

A tall male figure is standing near the lamp post. His hair is indeed blond, just like she assumed before. She approaches him with a rather quiet "ahoj".

"Hi. Where to?" he asks.

She rises her eyebrows with an amused smile playing on her lips. "At least ask me out first."

"I might. If you are nice." He smirks.

"Too bad. I am a very mean person." She shrugs.

"Are you now?" He lifts his brow.

"Yeah." She moves her shoulders again. "Come on it's kinda cold." She gestures with her hand and starts walking.

"Is that an invitation?" He follows.

"Don't push your luck Erik."

After a minute or so Erik's deep voice cuts through the quiet air of Košice. "Watcha doin' next week?"

She smirks."I am going out with this hot guy I met recently." She answers nonchalantly.

"Really? And who that might be?"He catches on her intentions quickly.

"You see he lives in Florida, you probably don't know him." She shakes her head. Just as the chilly breeze wraps its arms around her a shiver runs through her body. Soon a denim-like hoodie is placed on her shoulders.

"I though he was some local or something." He states as if he didn't just give her the only layer of his clothing other than the tight T-shirt.

"He's a Košice born guy actually." She shrugs. "Won't you be cold?" She looks up at him, but pulls the hoodie tighter.

"Nah, I can hear your teeth clattering. Keep it." He shakes his head. "So when are the two of you going out?"

"Monday at two I guess." She shrugs again. She sure does shrug a lot.

"Good." He nods.

They stop in front of an old flat and she turns around to face him."Thanks for walking me home and making sure and I didn't die along the way."She laughs. He likes her laugh. He really does.

"Mom would be ashamed of me if I let a pretty lady go home alone at night. "She chuckles again. A shiver runs down his spine when the wind blows again. She makes a move to return him the hoodie, but he extends his hand and shakes his head lightly.

"I'll get it back later."

She laughs shaking her head."You guys always let us have your clothes just to see us again."

He smirks. "You caught me."

"Just try not to freeze to death."

"I'll try to stay alive till Monday. Your smile will keep me warm." He winks.

"Gosh you're cheesy." She couldn't help, but roll her eyes.

He takes a step closer."I am glad I met you."

Lucia's confident facade wavers for a second."Same here."

They just stand there looking at each other not letting out a single tone slip past their lips. Erik leans closer, his hot breath fanning over her cold cheeks. Lucia inches towards him, but not connecting their lips yet. She wants him to take the last step. And so he does, slightly leaning in meeting the pink lips of the girl he quite literally ran into.

#series 81 #series81 #erik cernak imagine #tampa bay lightning imagine #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #hockey fanfiction #oc #slovakia #erik cernak #tampa bay lightning #nhl #hockey

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jjba-hell · 4 years

Text

A Touch of Grey

Ah my ultimate weakness...romance...

Posting late ‘cause I made some changes last minute and 2) it seems Tungle.com wanted to delete my first publication so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ there’s that

That aside this piece is quite mild and fluffy since the prompts I went with were Love/Tenderness as well as Established Relationship

Some trigger warning though: some seriously suggestive shit, possible PTSD on readers behalf and a mention of abandonment but overall a fluffy piece

We tagging my mutuals @giogio-gucci-gangstar , @lasquadraweek2020 and @risottoneroo

(Sorry for the inconvenience)

Reader is GN- 2,5K words

If there was one thing Prosciutto had pride himself on, it was a good place he could return to in his time off.

He was lucky enough to have inherited a duplex near Lecce with a seaside view. He figured his father was turning restlessly in his grave at the mere thought of being second-in-command for anyone, but Risotto outranked him and he’s never felt more free. He had gotten there a few days early to open the doors and windows and get some fresh air through the place- preparing for your much-deserved vacation.

While Prosciutto had been healing up in the hospital after his accident, you had taken Prosciutto’s place at Risotto’s side as he adjusted under the new Don’s reign. You’d been allowed to take a few days off to spend time with Prosciutto after rehabilitation. The weather was predicted to be nice- making for a warm and sunny summer. At least that was what the newspaper on your lap had told you as you took a sip from your coffee at the café you were instructed to wait at. You’d gotten there a bit earlier, after all.

The bill had just been paid when a convertible Porsche Spyder pulled up in front of the outside seating. You smiled past your sunglasses at the blonde seated behind the steering wheel, getting up with the duffel bag you had unceremoniously packed as soon as you got the call to come over.

The car was a vintage piece- you could tell he didn’t drive it often- simply by looking at the spotless state of the interior- so you could only assume it was because he wanted to either show off or blend in with the scene around you. But oh, did he do it well.

“You look well rested.” You commented as you leaned in for a kiss.

He gladly reciprocated, giving you a gentle but chaste kiss.

You sighed, lingering in your leaning position over the gear shift. A soft hum followed, “Definitely well rested, but didn’t quite feel like you missed me though.”

He laughed, taking off his hand from the steering wheel to lean back in to hold your face in his hands- letting just the tiniest taste of tongue into the kiss before pulling away.

Satisfied, you nodded, much more content with what you’d gotten. “That’s better.”

The drive was definitely scenic- if you weren’t gazing out at the ocean view from the cliff side, you were mesmerized by all the Mediterranean style vacation homes- one of which you pulled up to and slid into the tiny garage. You were about to take your bag but Prosciutto’s hand wrapped around the strap first.

He guided you out of the garage and towards the first landing of stairs to your left was the- “First floor. Used to be my mother’s art studio- now I just use it as storage for all the vintage pieces I need to sell.”

You didn’t really ask any further questions- figuring it wasn’t important. So you continued up the narrow stairs to the expansive second floor the two of you would be spending the most of your time in.

“Quite a gem you’ve been hiding all for yourself.” You laughed, following behind as he showed you around. He showed you the-

“Bedroom, en suite rest room of course.” He dropped the bag onto the bed and moved to show you the rest.

“Both living areas are connected to the balcony, either side of this wall and of course the kitchen.”

The kitchen was beautifully clean and overflowing with sunlight- you wondered in and opened the fridge situated near the pantry. “Stocked up, I see. Will we be cooking from scratch?” You asked before you moved closer to Prosciutto as he dropped his keys into the ceramic bowl on the kitchen counter. You gladly stretched your arms over his shoulders, stepping close enough for him to slip his hands into your back jean pockets. “Only if you want- call me old fashioned but the real thing DOES taste better.”

You laughed, softly rubbing your nose against his.

Prosciutto didn’t say anything, letting you sway him slightly in the breeze coming from the windows with nothing but a content smile on his face.

You wished you could have frozen this moment- or just never had to return to work and you hoped he felt the same. Your eyes never left his- trying to read his thoughts and delve deep enough into his soul to know absolutely everything about him, be as close to him as was humanly allowed.

You opened your mouth to speak but instead decided to curl your arms back up to take hold of his face and bring yourself even closer. His lips brushed up against yours as you whispered. “I love you.”

Prosciutto’s pupils unabashedly widened as he let out a content sigh. “I love you more.”

He closed the last gap between you, kissing you desperately. He tasted like peppermint lip balm and his cologne was driving you mad- it smelled like woodsmoke and citrus like the fireside from the chalet you two had stayed at on a mission. You gave a soft groan against his lips before pulling him in closer to deepen the kiss even more.

He broke the kiss for a moment for breath, bringing his hands up to your face, his lips finding purchase all over your face. “I love you. I love you much. I love you.”

You held onto his wrists, humming softly which turned into a laugh as he kissed some more ticklish areas on your neck.

“Lorenzo. Didn’t think having me here could make you so happy.”

Prosciutto smiled at the use of his real name, he straightened himself again, your hand wandering over his bare chest under the buttoned-down shirt he was wearing. “Tesoro, anywhere I can have you all to myself is paradise.”

You parted from him with a mischievous smile- “Speaking of paradise...” The two of you didn’t say much after, simply hooking your pinky finger into his and slinking into the bedroom with him in tow.

You found yourself curled up with your bare back against his chest, kissing your neck softly as you two enjoyed the late afternoon sun filtering through the window into the bed.

“Something tells me this isn’t how your parents left the home to you.” You purred as you looked about the perfectly decorated room.

He scoffed at the that. “My mother had a taste for vintage styling which I can’t stand. While my salary was decent, before La Squadra, I fixed this place up piece for piece.”

Running his free hand over your arm, Prosciutto’s gaze fell on the room’s decor he had decided on- a bit ironic now with his profession, but white ran throughout the whole floor- from the bed to the curtains and especially the kitchen. A bit of antithesis but he was hoping that might change soon.

“Nice choice.” You turned around to face him, hands above you, against the mahogany backboard. “But I somehow don’t see you hand-choosing these things.”

He frowned down at you with those beautiful blue eyes as you lay your head into the crook of his arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with a slight chuckle.

“The decor isn’t personal. Make no mistake, it looks immaculate- straight out of a designer’s portfolio but...impersonal.”

It didn’t take him long to understand what you meant- so he leaned down to let your noses touch. “You know too much for your own good.”

You tilted your head up so your lips could meet for a chaste kiss. “I just know you too well. Now, if we’re gonna make the pizza from scratch- we better get up. You can get the fire outside going and I’ll see what I can do about the dough.” You tied to sit up, Prosciutto’s hand jutting out and catching you by your waist, pulling you back. “One more round.” He purred as he rolled himself on top of you on the bed.

You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him. “You underestimate the time you spend between my legs; you know that?”

A soft chuckled was all he gave before indulging himself in your lips once more and then so much more than that.

“MCC or red wine?” Prosciutto asked as he gazed at the wine cabinet.

“Depends on the red you have.”

You were standing at the counter, starting with the food in nothing but his shirt- admittedly doing nothing to qualm his desire to touch you but this time he indulged in his desire to fill his stomach. wanting to eat some proper food. A specific bottle of red wine caught his eye and without a second thought he brought it to the glasses he had taken out and uncorked it.

You waited excitedly until he’d poured just a teaser into his own glass before reaching for it and taking a sip. It was a new bottle, so it was unlikely it had turn acrid in the time it’d been hanging around in the wine cabinet. You took a sip at the wine that had a vivid taste of berries and spices for a red wine. Probably a limestone grown grape- more likely made to be a warmed wine for winter.

Handing him the glass again you nodded. “Imported?” You asked.

“Mhm.”

“Limestone grown?”

“Is it that easy to tell?”

“No, I just know my wine.”

He decanted the wine and gave it a moment to air as he brought a chopping board beside yours.

At the end of the night you were cleaning up the dishes, swaying softly to the music he had put on.

“Leave it for tomorrow.” He whispered in your ear as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

“Oh, and I presume it’s just for more wine?” You laughed, his hand finding yours and spinning your back in against his chest.

“Granted, I did pour the last round, but I do just want to dance with you.”

You only then noticed that he had already dim the lights, holding you lightly- a soft sway to his step as he whispered in your ear. “Don’t you dare claim to have two left feet-I’ve seen you dance.”

He spun you around again, gliding around the pillar splitting the kitchen from the rest of the living areas and then stopping to pull you close, pressing his his chin onto your shoulder.

“I could’ve sworn I only danced with you that night we were at that wedding- Sicily’s capo’s daughter.” You laughed at the silly mouthful but he only continued to sway before purring in your ear.

“Oh I remember. I also remember how entrancing you were-“

He ran his hands down your arms to slip onto your hips. “You were so beautiful that night, at least I think so. Your hips did a lot of talking.”

You gave a content sigh. “I’d hope you know- that outfit was on your kitchen floor the next morning.”

“It probably was.” His hands slid up higher to your waist.

You brought your hand over his to entwine your fingers together- leaning your face into his. Just as you were about to kiss him once again, the shatter of glass had you grabbing hold of his wrist and flinching back- both of your gazes shooting towards the patio where the wine glass had tipped over in the wind and shattered on the floor.

You wished you could have breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed at the true source of noise but you just stood stick still as the wine spilled over the glass table edge outside.

Prosciutto brought his one hand up to turn your head to face him. “Mio tesoro,” his face fell softly in worry at your big doe eyes. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and wrapped your arms around him with a heavy sigh. “It’s stupid.” You whispered against his chest.

Prosciutto moved away a bit, looked deep into your eyes and brushed away a stray hair from your face. “Amore, my love.” He cupped your face in his hands gently. “Just be with me, right now. In this moment. You’re safe. It’s nothing.” He continued to lull you with this. “It was just a wine glass. No one’s going to hurt you.”

After a few moments of silently holding you he walked you to the bathroom, drawing you a bath and promising he’d be back- kissing your forehead before he left.

Later you crawled into bed beside him, finding calm in his embrace once more but you couldn’t exactly sleep. So you snuck out to find something the distract you by- ending up on the first floor among all the antique furniture Prosciutto had inherited and was trying to sell. There was a little light you found plugged into an outlet and switched it on to bathe the room in soft yellow light.

You picked up some of the tarps covering the ugly patterned chairs and carpets until you found a particular floor-length mirror encased in gold details.

It had been recently polished or dusted- not holding the same wear and tear the rest of the items did.

“Y/n.” Prosciutto’s voice called from the top of the stairs and then soon the foot steps down followed.

“Down here!” You called back, still entranced by the mirror.

He came down slowly, looking worried for a moment as he slipped in beside you with a soft sigh.

“Did I scare you?” You asked as you held him. “Not too much.”

He turned his attention to the mirror with you. “I never could quite part with this. It was my mother’s.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder.

“It’s beautiful.”

There was a beat of silence. Then you asked. “You never did tell me what happened to her.”

His eyes went dark a bit, his face falling. “I don’t know. She disappeared a few years before my dad died.”

You brought your hand to his, entwining fingers. “You should put it in your room- in that blank space next to the dresser.”

A smirk played on his lips. “You mean the one looking at our bed.”

You laughed turning to give him a kiss. He brought his lips close to yours, whispering against your lips. “I’ll take it up tomorrow. Now- if you’ve found enough distractions... let’s go have a smoke and go to bed.”

You nodded, leaning over and switching off the light in the corner and followed him to bed.

He kept to his promise- when you woke up you found the mirror looking back at you as he handed you a cup of coffee.

“Isn’t there some superstition about mirrors facing beds?”

Prosciutto sighed as he took hold of your coffee again and then slowly prowled over your body, making you lay your head down at the foot at the bed.

“Honestly, cara mia...” he ran his lips over your jaw, making your head tilt back over the edge to watch him hover over you in the mirror. “I think I’ll risk it.”

#jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo part 5 #la squadra #jojo golden wind #lasquadraweek2020

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norsenightingale · 3 years

Text

Caged Birds - Part One -

**So I got an itch to write some Draco Malfoy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ How you doin?**

Pairing: Draco/Original Female Character (Adeline Maxwell)

Rating: Currently Teen but Mature in the future

Tags: Arranged Marriage, Romance, Slow Burn, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut

Cold. Rainy. Dreadful.

Those were the words that she would use to describe everything about this day. Adeline pressed her forehead delicately against the cool glass window and stared at a few raindrops running in front of her face. This stretch of road seemed to go on forever but now she could see the trees slowly begin to part and all at once a massive house came into view.

“Malfoy Manor, Lady Maxwell,” the driver announced, and she sat up a bit straighter.

The car turned into a stretching driveway surrounded all the way by large, lush gardens and hedges. She wished to see them in the sunlight, when the world wasn’t covered in a layer of clouds. She thought they would be beautiful that way.

The chauffer navigated nimbly around the circular fountain right in the middle of the driveway, coming to a stop perfectly in front of the mansion. She heard the driver’s door open and close but Adeline didn’t move. Her own door was pulled open gently and a hand was held out.

“We’ve arrived, M’Lady.”

That was enough to snap her out of her trance. Adeline placed her hand gently in the outstretched one and pulled herself slowly out of the vehicle.

“Thank you, Henry,” she nodded toward the man. Without hesitation, a large black umbrella was opened and stretched out over her head. “My bags?” She questioned, smoothing out the bottom of her dress.

“They’ll be taken up after you’re settled in, M’lady.”

Adeline nodded. She knew the answer to that question already but a part of her was trying to buy a bit of time, standing in the shadow of the intimidating building. She supposed there was no point in delaying the inevitable and began walking towards the arched front doors. Henry was at her side, holding the umbrella closely over her to avoid any bit of water soiling her hair or clothing, but she still felt as if in this moment, she had never been more alone.

After what felt like an eternity, she was face to face with the front entrance of Malfoy Manor. She stared at her reflection in the snake's head doorknockers but before Henry reached out to use them, the door was swung open to reveal a small, disheveled looking house elf.

“Come in, Mistress,” she squeaked, “Master Malfoy is waiting for you in the library.”

Adeline nodded to the elf and turned to Henry.

“Well,” she cleared her throat, “I suppose this is goodbye.” The chauffer made no moves to try and hide the tears obviously beginning in the corner of his crinkled brown eyes. “Would a hug be terribly inappropriate?” The old man chuckled softly but nodded his head. Adeline’s face fell, “Right, I probably already knew that.”

“You’ll be alright M’Lady. They’ll make sure of it.” Henry squeezed her shoulder gently and then closed the door behind him before he could make too much of a spectacle.

“Follow Dottie, please,” the house elf muttered, and Adeline obeyed. They passed several rooms decorated with statues and portraits, one with a large grand piano in the middle, a huge spiraling wooden staircase, and a candle-lit dining room before coming to a stop. “Master’s in here,” Dottie motioned toward the closed doors. Adeline tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before the she was led into the room. “Master,” the little elf’s voice trembled, “Dottie is pleased to present Mistress Adeline Maxwell.”

Dottie moved to the side to allow her master to better see their new house guest. Adeline stepped foreward cautiously, her hands clasped in front of her. Draco closed the tome in his lap and cast his eyes toward her, slowly traveling the length of her body up and back down. A small smile curved the corner of his mouth.

“Hello,” he stood from the armchair. “It’s nice to finally meet you Lady Maxwell.” Adeline accepted his outstretched hand and was surprised when he immediatly leaned down to plant a small kiss on the back of hers. She cleared her throat.

“And you as well, Master Malfoy.”

“Please,” he scoffed at the name, “Call me Draco. Dottie!” He barked, “Prepare a room for Lady Maxwell. The big one, in the west corridor.” Dottie scrambled at his order, peeping out a quick ‘yes, Master’ before vanishing into thin air. “You’ll be staying in your own room, only until after the wedding of course, can’t have anyone thinking we are anything less than a proper couple now can we?” Draco chuckled.

“I’m not sure a ‘proper couple’ would only be meeting a week before their wedding,” Adeline sweetly smiled, “But then again, a traditional couple would, wouldn’t they?”

Draco raised his eyesbrows at her response, taken back by it. “I suppose so,” he shrugged. “Arranged marriages are traditionally the way things work in the inner circles of pure blood families. Do you have a problem with marrying me?” He asked and Adeline felt that he was genuinely curious. She thought for a moment.

“I don’t know you,” she finally answered honestly.

“Then let’s get to know each other,” Draco said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Sit, have a cup of tea, and ask me anything you’d like.”

Adeline accepted his invitation, sitting in the arm chair directly across from the one Draco was occupying earlier. He poured two cups of tea from the small table between them and offered one to her. “Milk or sugar?” He asked.

“Milk, thank you.” He poured a small splash into her cup. Adeline delicately took it from him and stirred it absent mindedly, magic dripping from her fingertips without the use of a wand.

“I heard you were blessed with incredible ability,” Draco awed, “wandless magic is quite impressive.” Adeline locked eyes with him but said nothing. “What is suddenly occupying your mind?”

“I’m just thinking about what I want to know about you.”

Adeline took a sip of her tea, her tongue running across the seam of her lips while she thought. “You attended Hogwarts?” She finally asked and Draco nodded. “Slytherin house I’m assuming?” He nodded again. “What was your favorite course? Was there anything you were particullary skilled at?”

Draco sat back against his chair. “I enjoyed potions mainly because of the professor but I was a skilled in most courses.” She nodded.

“Did you have a girlfriend while you were in school?”

Draco nearly choked at her boldness. “I… I didn’t have a girlfriend per se.”

Adeline tilted her head. “If not ‘per se’ then what was it?”

Draco though about all those years of Pansy Parkinson following him like a lost puppy. “She was a girl that liked me and I allowed her to be around. That was all.”

“You didn’t date, then? Didn’t have a girl that you liked as much as she liked you?”

“No,” Draco shifted in his seat. “I was promised a beautiful woman to be my wife two years before I attended my first year of Hogwarts. There was no point in silly school crushes or girlfriends when I knew I was spoken for.”

Adeline seemed satisfied with that answer. Draco knew there was no point in asking her the same questions. She was sent to Beaubaxtons with the express purpose of keeping her away from other men. He was also kept up to date on most of her actions throughout her life, even if she wasn’t given the same luxury. He knew what courses she was taking, who she was friends with, where she went on most nights. He was always aware of what she got up to, she just never knew it.

“What do you want, or rather,” she corrected herself, “what do you expect from our marriage?”

Draco wondered how honest he should be with her. If he truly delved deeply into his wants and expectations, she might never look at him the same way again.

“I want us to respect one another. I need a partner to share my home and life with and I want a wife to fulfill the duties that she is designed for.”

“And those duties would be…?” Adeline trailed off.

“Well, duties of the marital bed of course.” Draco smirked. “But don’t worry, I want to satisfy as much as I want to be satisfied.” His fingers danced delicatly aganst the smooth fabric of his dress trousers and she couldn’t help but watch them move nimbly as he tapped.

“Do you believe in love?” Was her final question, and the one that resonated with him the most. He wasn’t sure if he believed in love but he believed in a life where they could enjoy each other’s company.

“I believe that you and I will become very, very close.”

“Mistress Maxwell’s room is ready, Master,” Dottie’s squeaking voice interupted and he made no effort to hide his rolling eyes.

“Show Mistress to her new room,” Draco ordered, “and draw a hot bath for her after you’ve given her the tour.” He turned his attention back to Adeline. “We can continue this at dinner if you wish. Go get settled.”

“Follow Dottie, please.”

Adeline obeyed and followed the small elf as she scampered quickly up the stairs and down the corridor. Adeline wanted to stop and admire every room, every work of art on the walls, but she knew that if she did she might get lost in the massive manor.

Finally, Dottie stopped in front of a dark set of wooden double doors. Dottie paused only briefly to make sure Adeline was still behind her and opend them, revealing the most ornately decorated bedroom she had ever seen. Each and every square foot of the room was a dark marble, accented with silver and emerald. Several bookcases covered the walls, reaching the entire length of the floor to the ceiling and a roaring fireplace was centered in front of the canopied bed.

“Mistress’s clothes are in the closet,” Dottie pointed to a second set of doors on the left of the room, “along with some things that Master purchased prior to her arrival. I’ll prepare your bath while you pick out something to wear for dinner, Mistress.”

Dottie scampered off through the third and final set of doors in the room, revealing even more dark marble and a large clawfoot bathtub in the very center of the bathroom. Almost immediatly the room was filled with the scent of vanilla and dozens of white candles were lit around the bubble filled tub. It looked positively divine and she couldn’t wait to slip into the hot water.

“Dottie, I’m not sure what to wear. Would you mind choosing something for me?” The little elf enthusiastically nodded yes.

“I always chose Mistress Malfoy’s clothes, it would be an honor to do so for you, young Mistress. Do you need help getting undressed?” Adeline shook her head.

“No, thank you. You may go.”

“Yes Mistress,” Dottie nodded, “I’ll be back in a moment or two with your clothing.”

When Adeline was finally alone she wasted no time ridding herself of her clothes and sinking neck-deep in the hot water. She audibly sighed, the warmth easing the tension from her muscles and lulling her almost to sleep. Perhapse she did fall asleep, because the next she knew Dottie’s little hands were washing and combing through her long hair.

“Mistress has beautiful hair,” she complimented. “Much prettier than Mistress Malfoy’s if you don’t mind Dottie saying.” Adeline laughed. Truly laughed for the first time in days.

“Thank you, Dottie,” she chuckled and Dottie smiled.

“Dottie picked a black gown for Mistress, undergarments and some shoes.” She pointed to the items laid neatly across the bench in the bathroom. “Master Malfoy requested something nice.” Adeline couldn’t help but notice the black lace that seemed to adorn every item except the black heels.

“Are we having guests this evening?” She questioned the house elf but Dottie shook her head.

“No Mistress, Master just wanted you to look your best.” Adeline’s stomach tied in knots. He was already treating her like a trophy to be displayed. There for him to enjoy looking at and nothing else. She slowly stood from the water and a robe was tied around her magically.

She ran her fingers across the clothes laid out, they were silk and obviously of high quality but they were not hers. Adeline remembered Dottie saying Draco had purchased some clothing for her before she arrived.

‘It figures he would have bought lignerie’ she thought, holding up a very lacy bra and panty set. She put it on anyway, not hating the way it made her look and feel much more confident than she usually did in her own undergarments. Dottie helped her slip the gown over head and zip it up, though it left her shoulders and a portion of her back exposed. She put on the red-bottomed heels last and gazed at herself in the mirror.

She looked expensive. She felt expensive.

Finally Dottie dried and straightened her dark hair with a snap of her fingers. “Mistress is ready?” She questioned. Adeline took a deep breathe and nodded, following Dottie back out of the bedroom.

#Draco Malfoy #Draco #Draco x reader #Draco x oc #Draco smut #Draco fluff #Draco fanfiction #Draco Malfoy fanfiction #Draco Malfoy imagine #Draco Malfoy Smut #Harry Potter fanfiction #Slytherin #Draco Malfoy arranged marriage #Hey I'm not dead

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legionofpotatoes · 3 years

Note

Not gonna say it couldn't be done better, but I think these first few episodes are setting up that driving factor of Mando's connection with the kid. "Finding a Jedi" was supposed to be the end point where Mando passes him off to be taken care of, but the setup for the next episode is that they must decide what path they're going to follow. With Tython being the destination, the tracking beacon being on Mando's ship, and Thrawn's name drop, I think things are about to pick up pace pretty quick

Yeah I get all that, truly. I understand the plot is maybe driving towards some form of confession of love or deeper motive, and that characters that orbit the pair might become ingredients in that eventual moment (cobb vanth softening his binary view of creed traitors, bo-katan undermining the values of the creed altogether, ahsoka helping him arrive at the point where he faces his feelings, etc), I just wish it was all dramatized a bit better as an arc so we as an audience understand where the river is headed instead of constantly second-guessing dramatic moments and feeling like “maybe it’ll get real in the next one”, because shows have been known to coast on that promise for years and years before fizzling out into nothing. I know this feels like a stupid nitpick but the big “maybe” in central motives can be such a big problem for episodic stories like these. Right now it just feels like a jigsaw board with all these names and references that will somehow fit together in the end, instead of a clear dramatic sense of where things are headed for our main guys. And I honestly hate nothing more than when stories are treated and constructed like puzzles instead of clear emotional arcs (and I mean both can exist within the frameworks of a functional show, but maybe with inverted degrees of agency).

And it’s cool that all those plot elements will come crashing together soon! Great star wars juice for all of us. This is not even me being facetious, I truly and genuinely enjoy the imagery which is why I keep cranking out all this artwork. It’s inspiring stuff! But we’re at the end stretch of the final 3 episodes and I wish we already had the father-son groundwork laid at this point. Again, I’m not dismissing the fact that it’s all probably engineered this way, I just think the story would be more interesting if we had that thing driving the plot already, since maybe ep3 of season 1? where it was endlessly and exhaustively implied but never articulated? and then we could have all this external stuff come in and reinforce it and help mando feel more secure in his secretly selfish choice. or something like that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In short, assuming you’re right, my beef is with nothing else but using the first 2 seasons to arrive at the point which I think should have been wrapped up in the beginning of the show and then used as a foundation. If they really do it after 3 eps I’ll be surprised, because it is starting to feel like another MCU-esque con game of constantly shifting promises in order to keep the lucrative status quo going. We’ll see how it goes! I’m sure the action and fan service will be top-notch!

edit: original post/context for this ask

#anon #asks #the mandalorian spoilers

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2-cute-4-school · 4 years

Text

NCT Dream reaction : you give them a handmade gift

M.list

Genre : fluff fluff fluff

Word count : 2.5K words

Mark Lee

*sigh* my overworked baby, SM pls let him rest

he probably forgets to eat from time to time or just doesn’t time to

which breaks your poor little heart :<

so when Mark stays in the recording room until late in the night once again, you don’t go to him empty handed

you go to him with a handful of homemade cookies!!! ヽ(^◇^*)/

when you enter the studio, Mark’s slumped figure immediately straightens up, tired eyes lighting up at the sight of you

he turns in his chair and stretched out his arms to you with a puppy face and your heart :((( just :((((( melts :(((((((((( wow mark no need to kill us all with your babie culture

but who are you to say no to this angel with somewhat less appropriate thoughts but you didn’t hear this from me so you don’t hesitate to walk into his open arms

he lays his head on your stomach, nuzzling into you and cuddling up to you like a clingy koala bear as you run your fingers comfortingly through his hair, lightly massaging his head

with the serene atmosphere you almost forgot why you came so you pulled away from Mark, your heart clenching at his whine and bring the bag with the cookies out of your backpack and thrust it in his hands

he looks from you to the bag and back with eyes so wide and innocent your brain almost short circuited at the utter cuteness

he digs into it once you prompt him to, a soft ‘woah’ coming out from him once he was hit with the sight of freshly baked cookies

“daaamn these are so good, babe” your eyes shine with pride

as he sticks one in his mouth, munching delighted at it (◠‿◠✿) , he grabs you with an arm, sitting you on his lap like a baby that you are and prodding your lips with another cookie he grabbed out of the bag

“oh no, I made these for you, I don’t-”

he doesn’t let you finish your sentence as he pushes the cookie in your mouth, watching you fondly as you start munching on it and patting your head with a gentle hand

“you’re so much cuter when you’re not nagging”

*GASP*

the Disrespect

Huang Renjun

this baby probably also showers you in his own gifts such as paintings or drawing of you sooo

it’s only proper that you also gist him something made by you (°∀°)

you work your cute ass off to perfect the most adorable Moomin key-chain you can come up with *huff*

the day you finally deem it good enough to be shown to the top artist Huang Renjun you sweat buckets as you approach him

Renjun is busy on his iPad as you paddle over to him and stick the key-chain in his face with a dumb but proud smile “here”

Renjun turns to you with a blank face “what is this?”

●‿●

when I tell you the blood drained from your face and you died 50 times internally, your soul just left your body and you saw your life flash before your eyes ‘well life was good, time to say goodbye eyy’

you manage a loud and definitely not artificial laugh

“HAHAHA JUST AN UGLY THING I made I MEAN FOUND HAha ʰᵃ!!! Hey doesn’t it look like you in the morning?!”

that’s when you knew you gotta bolt the scene

but Renjun of course couldn’t let your embarrassment end there the grumpy little gremlin

he snatched the keychain from you and curled his other hand around you, gluing you to his side and you froze as you looked into his sparkly wide eyes ( Renjun’s eyes are galaxies fite me )

“you made this for me?”

“uh yeah”

warning : you were strangled to death by Renjun who deemed that a simple ‘thank you’ just couldn’t suffice, you had to die asphyxiated by his bear hug

“thank u thank u thank it’s so cute, I love it so much! I love you so much!!!”

“do you love me more than Moomin?”

warning 2 : he threw you away faster than he captured you in his deathly cute hug

“know your place, no. 2″

(¤﹏¤)

Lee Jeno

so Jeno is just a biiiiit upset at you maybe

okay maybe a bit more than just a bit

because you might or might have not broken his favorite cup which, mind you, was also a gift from you, when you were at the dorms

so now this overgrown baby gives you THE stinky eye and makes sarcastic and grumpy remarks with any chance he gets

and honesty as much as you love him, you’re ABSOLUTELY DONE with his pettiness :’)

that’s how you find yourself seated at your desk with a blank cup, acrylic watercolors and brushes spread everywhere as you squeeze every ounce of willpower to finish what you started

so after 2 mental breakdown, painted fingers and a veryyy dirty desk, you finished painting a cute design on Jeno’s new cup

you let it dry and didn’t waste another second to bring it to Jeno who still sulked at the dorms

once you were let inside, you trudged over to Jeno who was sat at the couch, refusing to get up and greet you with kisses as he usually did and slammed the cup on the coffee table in front of him

his frown turned into a confused puppy face so fast his duality amazed you once again, he lifted the cup gently, running the tips of his fingers gently over the paintings you worked so hard to complete for him

“are you still mad, nono?”

his silence was quite unnerving as you started to tire yourself out, your voice weakened by worry, but he lifted his head, looking at you with eyes so soft your heart fluttered wildly in your chest

“mad? you-you did this for me and you think I’m mad?”

he put the cup down much gentler than you and stood up from his seat, engulfing you in his arms, one of his hands squeezing you impossibly close to him and the other one cradling your head to his chest

“I think I just fell in love with you once again”

“if you fall in love just from a painted cup I should be more careful when I leave you alone”

he chuckled at your witty remark, kissing the side of his neck

once you broke apart, he placed his new favorite cup on the highest shelf and turned to you with a shit-eating grin

“i’ll put this here so maybe you won’t break this one too”

“sleep with an eye open tonight, lee” (☉‿☉✿)

Lee Donghyuck

so another overworked baby of mine bless his soul

his schedule is so packed so even though he’d cuddle with you until the end of times you actually didn’t get to do that as often as you’d like

and we all know how whiny lil cutie baby Haechanie can get when he doesn’t get what he wants :’))))

and since unfortunately you can’t be beside him all of the time like he wants you to, you decide the next best thing : you knit him a scarf !! you even stuck a tag made out of a soft material with a drawing of a smiley sun to one end of the scarf

he looks so shocked when you skip into his room and lovingly strangle him with the scarf

and you swear you could see his eyes glisten when you tell him you made it yourself and he remembers the bandaids that seemed to grow in number every day which you always shrugged of when he asked

although the tears may be from the lack of air ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

n e way, he looks so thankful as he wordlessly cradles your hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and taking the time to litter kisses over every single one of your small injuries, whispering a soft ‘i love you’ at the end

you swear your heart runs leaps through your rib cage

he just loves you so so much and would appreciate anything you give him

you bring his face back up and press a huge *smooch* on his lips and you both giggle in between your kisses

why so cute you lovebirds?!?

he brings the scarf everywhere he goes, to the dorms, to every show, concert, whenever he travels somewhere, no matter the season

it becomes his lucky charm

once, Renjun sends you a picture of your Hyuckie sleeping cuddled up to the scarf, his nose nuzzled into it

“you know I won’t let him forget about this. EVER” you smirk at Renjun’s text, typing back a reply

“pls do” ( ಠ◡ಠ )

Na Jaemin

this sweet boi hold close to his heart anything you give him

so there’s literally no reason to stress over the bracelet you decided to craft for him

but you being you of course you want to rip your hair out every time something doesn’t go your way ah the levels of patience are definitely soaring through the roof

you even swallowed your pride and asked Jeno for help (read as used him as a puppet) so you were sure you’d get the right size

so after doubting the colors, patterns, material, your entire life choices, you asked Jaemin to close his eyes the next time you met up

with extra shaky fingers, you wrapped the bracelet around his wrist and fumbled to tie it properly

“I’m not getting any younger over here, y/n”

“shut up, mommy jaemie”

he managed to slap the back of your head even with his eyes closed (>‘o’)>

so when you finally tied a sturdy knot with your chicken fingers, you let him open his eyes and beach let me tell you the way his entire face broke into a smile at the sight of the pretty bracelet around your wrist

the sun seemed to pale in comparison with his precious smile, jaemin lights up the world no question, there’s no way you can convince me otherwise

“oh my God, my baby spent time making me such a pretty gift, I must have saved a country in my previous life, come here, let me smooch you into next week (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ “

so that’s how you ended up trapped in Jaemin’s embrace FOREVER

he kept on complimenting you the entire day and made it his mission to boast to every member he could get is hands on about his pretty gift made by his even prettier baby, he’s such a sucker for you no joke whipped culture right here m’am

“Jaemin, the the threads are getting dirty, don’t you think it’s time to take it off-?”

“I’ll die wearing this ʘ‿ʘ“

Zhong Chenle

among all of his ultra expensive things he has, he is dead sure that you’re the most precious in his life

he often told you he’d give up every penny in his bank and all his fame as long as he got to keep you by his side

he regarded you as a ray of warm light when the world left him cold and he swore he’d fight off anything and anyone who dared to hurt you

so this is how he found himself a bit confused and extremely guilty over how he is supposed to fight himself, watch and learn baby

he never meant to upset you, especially over something you poured your blood, sweat and tears into perfecting it just for him

sure, you were aware the Chinese patters you sewed carefully into a pristine white material weren’t perfect, but the way he laughed in you face once you offered it to him toppled your negative emotions over

he wasn’t aware that you sewed it yourself when he made fun of it

“jeez, where did you get this from, Y/N, the clownery fair? even though you should report them for to costumer protection for its ugliness”

“maybe I should report you for being a bitchy prick” ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ

you glare at him and storm away, slamming the door

chenle, the most oblivious and babiest boyfriend : (Θ︹Θ)ს well shit

but of course you couldn’t stay mad at him for long when he sweet talked his way back into your good side basically every minute of the day after finding out from Renjun (this angry angel helped you bless his soul) how hard you worked to sew that

so even though you’re still sulking a lil bit

you accept to come over at his house and as soon as you enter his room you’re shook

where one of his posters once hung above his bed now stood your sewing project proudly

you stared in awe like （’◎’）

“but I though you said it’s ugly”

“that’s before I knew it’s made by you. Anything you did is directly promoted to gorgeous, admirable, incomparable-”

ヾ(＠⌒▽⌒＠)ﾉ

3 weeks later while cuddling

you : *GASP* “I’m so sorry for calling you a bitchy prick, baby”

Park Jisung

he is a giant as much as he is a baby and you agree with me even if you don’t

babies are fascinated by almost anything, especially colorful things

which means Jisung is also fascinated by colorful things ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ

so when you met and you pulled out a few origami figures of different, lively colors, Jisung : (✪㉨✪)

“woah, how did you do these?”

“they’re like basic origami figurines”

if he wasn’t amazed enough already

when you picked up a purple frog and pressed on its bottom and it jumped, Jisung jumped up with it

“WOAH, how did you do THAT?”

you didn’t have the heart to break his innocent awe and tell him it didn’t take longer than 5 minutes to make that frog

so you just settled for a shrug and a simple

“magic, Jisung, magic”

at that, he straightens up in his seat, his awestruck expression fading into a serious one as he grips your shoulders tightly （´＿｀）

“you’ve been lying to me, haven’t you?” ~(｡☉︵ ಠ@)>

“what do you mean, sungie?”

“you’re a wizard!!!!!!!!!”

*facepalm* *internal sigh* *whale noises because cuteness levels are just too high*

“uh, yeah sure, baby, whatever floats your boat”

you try to turn away to hide your growing smile, but jisung isn’t having it

“no, you can’t leave me like this!! teach me!!!1!”

he grips your sleeve and looks at you with such wide innocent eyes as if you’re another wonder of the world and you swear you melt on the spot

“well, you know, my services aren’t free” (¬‿¬)

“what do you want?”

“kisses?” ( jisung shutting down )

“k-kisses? kisses??!? i mean *clears throat and buffs up* yeah sure, that’s all? i can do kisses” ( this baby blushed after only mentioning it but okay boss baby go off I guess ) (*~▽~)

he could’t even be disappointed when he found out origami was nowhere near to magic when you spoiled him with kithes all evening *cue a red Jisungie*

#cznnet #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct dream #nct fluf #nct angst #nct dream scenarios #nct dream reactions #nct dream fluff #nct dream angst #nct renjun #nct mark #nct jeno #nct haechan #nct jaemin #nct chenle #nct jisung

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furtheradvofsanta · 4 years

Text

Santa Claus Letter 2019

Every year for Christmas I write a story for my nephew in the form of a letter from Santa. I recognize this is after Christmas, but we’re exchanging presents late this year, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This time I was inspired by how much I hated The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------

Santa’s Workshop

Beyond the Riphean Mountains

Beyond the North Wind

True North Pole

December 20, 2019

My dearest [name],

I am sending you this letter on the occasion of your fifth Christmas, but I worry it may arrive to you late. You see, I’m not sending it from home, despite the return address I have attached at the top. I worry the mail here is not quite as efficient as it is at home, so this letter might arrive well after Christmas, for which I apologize. It’s something of a long story, which I think you will soon come to understand.

Anyway, you won’t believe the year we’ve had here at the workshop. You wouldn’t expect that after our troublesome visit from the gremlins last year that we would have another problem that threatened to keep Christmas from happening on time for a second year in a row, but sometimes things just happen that way. I hope we don’t make a habit of it. This time, at least, nothing surprised us at the workshop that almost blew us all up. Our home was safe this time, but we had to travel far away to make sure everyone else was safe, too.

I believe I told you last year that I take every chance that I can to visit my friend the Man in the Moon, but I don’t think I told you anything about him. I’m sure you’ve seen him; he’s just up there in the sky hanging out most of the time. But I’ll bet you didn’t know he has a name and a wife and a dog, and I’d guess you don’t know how he got up there in the first place. Well, I’ll tell you, and you won’t have to wonder anymore.

His name is Cain, a name that unfortunately bears a rather bad history, and this Cain was a bit of a troublemaker himself when he was still on Earth. Oh yes, he was once a regular Earth person, but that’s been many years ago now. One night--a Christmas Eve, in fact--Cain was out with his dog gathering sticks for the fire when he passed a neighbor’s garden that was full of cabbages. His head should have told him that stealing was wrong, but he couldn’t hear it over the sound of his empty belly telling him that cabbage soup would make a fine Christmas dinner.

He shifted all the sticks he was gathering into a bundle on his back and began loading up his arms with stolen cabbages. He was so excited about having soup for dinner that he didn’t notice that a handsome man in a fine suit was now standing in the garden watching him.

“Would you rob me on Christmas?” the man asked Cain.

“Christmas on Earth or Monday in heaven makes no difference to a man in need of supper,” Cain replied.

The man thought about this for a moment and then asked Cain if he would rather burn in the sun or freeze on the moon. Cain laughed at this, because it seemed an impossible question, but he supposed he would rather freeze on the moon.

“Then may it ever be a Moon-day in heaven for you,” the man said, and he wished Cain to the moon, bundle of sticks and stolen cabbages and all. He’s been there ever since, because Death doesn’t know to look for him there. He’s not the first Man in the Moon--before him there was a man sent to the Moon by Moses as punishment for gathering sticks on the Sabbath, and then there was the shepherd Endymion who was beloved by the Moon--but he’s the only one now.

At least he’s not completely alone up there. He has his dog Phoebe to keep him company as he shines down on Earth and eats cabbages. There’s also a large rabbit constantly pounding rice into rice cakes, and a number of other strange things I notice every time I go to visit. They say the astronauts who have landed on the Moon have never seen these things, but explorers who have gone to the North Pole have never found my workshop either, so perhaps they just don’t know how to look properly.

You might be surprised to learn that the Man in the Moon is married. It’s true! He has a wife, but he only sees her once a year, at--you can probably guess--Christmas. The rest of the time she lives in a cave near the border of France and Germany, where she is greatly beloved and known affectionately by the people as Auntie Harry. Every Christmas, the great goose-footed fairy Auntie Harry leaves her cave and takes her donkey Marion to visit the good children of her region and leave them toys, candy, and treats (especially if they have left a snack of hay or turnips for Marion). When she has finished her task, she and Marion fly up to the Moon, where she and her husband Cain renew their wedding vows every year.

They say that if you know when to look, you can catch the Man in the Moon turning around once a year, on Christmas Eve, and that is true! He is turning around to see his wife, Auntie Harry, flying up to see him. He misses her so much during the year.

At any rate, it was Auntie Harry who tipped us off to all the trouble this year, and I am thankful for it! I don’t know what we would have done if she hadn’t been looking longingly up at the Moon from the mouth of her cave in France and noticed something was wrong. Something that looked like a long, bumpy, squirming tentacle, she said, appeared as if it was stretching its way up from the Earth to the Moon. We took a look with our most powerful telescopes and, sure enough, there was something like a tall, wiggling tower growing up out of what appeared to be eastern Germany.

I decided I needed to take a closer look, so I had Rupert, our farmhand, prepare the sleigh with my fastest reindeer so I could go see what this strange and alarming mass was. I knew, however, that I would have to be careful, as this part of Germany was under the protection of the small blonde angel whom they call the Christ Child (not to be confused with the actual baby Jesus). While the Christ Child is a loving gift-bringer and protector of children to much of Europe, she does not care for me very much, and she doesn’t appreciate it when she feels that I’m intruding on her territory, which she is very protective of. So I knew I would need to stay high in the sky to avoid being seen by her, lest she send against me her frightening companion, the walking scarecrow, Hans Trapp. Fortunately (in a way), the mysterious tower had grown far above the ground and up into the sky, so I didn’t have to get too close to the actual city.

You will never guess what I found, not if you had a million guesses. Was it a giant finger? No. Was it an enormous carrot, stretching out for the Moon Rabbit to nibble on? Oh, if only. Was it one billion marshmallows, hoping to escape into space? No. You will never guess. This miles-high tower that was now, I would have to guess, nearly halfway to the Moon was in fact a giant pile of squeaking, squirming, black-eyed, long-tailed little mice, all stacked on top of each other as if trying to turn themselves into a stairway to heaven.

What could be the cause of this? What could be the reason for it? I had no way of knowing, so I pulled the reins of the reindeer and told them to fly up so that perhaps I could see what was at the top. I have never seen so many mice in one place, and I could hardly guess where they had come from. If you have not seen any mice this year, it is probably because they left their home in [state] to join this tower of mice above Germany. How did they all get there? I can only imagine the number of mice sneaking across the ocean in boats and planes, following some irresistible order that only mice could hear. I shudder to think of it, frankly.

When I arrived at the top, I saw something that should not have surprised me. Which is a thing that should surprise you, because the thing I am about to describe is in fact quite surprising, so the fact that I shouldn’t have been surprised tells you the amount of surprising things I see on any given day.

What I saw was a mouse much larger than all the others, who stood on his hind legs and wore a long, purple military coat with a sabre strapped to his side, and a broad, fur-lined cloak over the top. At the top of his body rose seven heads, hissing and squeaking orders at the mice below him, and each gray head had a shining golden crown on top. This was, perhaps needless to say, the Mouse King.

You might have heard of the Mouse King, as his misdeeds are fairly well known, especially the uproar he caused at the Stahlbaum household so many years ago, but you may not know how such a scoundrel came to be. His mother was, of course, the Mouse Queen, and he inherited more than just the Kingdom of Mice from her. Her name was Madame Mouserinks, and in addition to being a queen, she was also a powerful sorceress, and a troublemaker of some renown, to boot.

You see, many years ago in a kingdom far away, a queen (a human queen) was making her husband the king’s favorite dinner of sausages, when Mouserinks tricked the queen into letting her eat all of the lard the queen needed to make the sausages. This made the sausages too dry, which made the king very angry, and so he swore revenge on the Mouse Queen. He summoned the court inventor, a rather ingenious clockmaker named Drosselmeier, to make the cleverest possible mouse traps to capture Mouserinks and her seven sons.

The traps managed to capture the seven Mouse Princes, but the Mouse Queen escaped unscathed, and she swore her own revenge against the king and queen for the loss of her sons. As it happens, the king and queen had just had a child of their own, a beautiful princess named Pirlipat. Knowing that Mouserinks would like come after her child due to the capture of her own, the queen assigned seven nurses to sit in Pirlipat’s room and hold seven cats--the famous tomcat Herr Schnurr, as he was known, and his family--in their laps, constantly petting them to make sure they were ever awake and alert to look out for Mouserinks and her sons.

But, as happens to people when given a boring job, or as happens to cats whenever they feel like, all seven nurses and all seven cats fell into a deep sleep. And so it was that they missed the moment that Madame Mouserinks used her magic to transform the beautiful princess into a very strange creature indeed. Where once Pirlipat had had the face of an angel, now she had a huge head attached to her tiny body, with large staring eyes, a large toothy grin, and a shock of white hair.

The king was outraged and set the task of curing his daughter on the poor court inventor, Drosselmeier, threatening to cut off his head if he could not solve this problem in a mere thirty days. Even a clever man like Drosselmeier was worried he wouldn’t be able to solve such a riddle in such a short time. And so he went to visit his friend the court astronomers to see if there was any help to be gained by observing the stars.

From this visit, Drosselmeier was able to determine that the princess could only be cured by eating the meat of the great nut Crackatook, the hardest, most delicious nut in the world. How would one go about cracking the hardest nut in the world, you might ask, and that would be a fine question. It turns out the only way was for a young man who had never yet shaved nor worn boots to crack open the shell with his teeth and hand the princess the nut with his eyes closed before taking seven steps backwards without stumbling.

This, as you might imagine, was a difficult mission even for Drosselmeier’s genius. Well, to make an already long story somewhat shorter, Drosselmeier traveled the four corners of the Earth--plus a previously undiscovered fifth corner that he called “zorth”--only to discover both the nut and the young man were to be found in his hometown of Nuremberg in Germany.

He found the great nut Crackatook in the shop of his brother Christoph, the greatest dollmaker in all of Nuremberg (which is no small feat, as Nuremberg has long been famous for its toymakers. Some are even almost as good as I am. I would say the Drosselmeier brothers are the closest anyone has ever come to the quality of my workshop, so I am glad they are my friends and not my rivals!). Also in that shop, he found his nephew, the seventeen-year-old Nathaniel Drosselmeier, who had never shaved and never worn boots. What’s more, the young Drosselmeier was so good at cracking nuts that the impressed young ladies of Nuremberg had taken to calling him Nathaniel Nussknacker, a name that means “nut-cracker.”

With quite a bit of to-do that we can skip over for now, Nathaniel Nussknacker was presented with the chance to crack the great nut Crackatook and rescue Princess Pirlipat and earn a great reward for his uncle and marriage of the princess for himself. He managed to crack the uncrackable nut in his teeth, handed the meat to the princess with his eyes closed, and began his seven steps backwards. As he did so, the princess ate the nut and was returned to her normal, beautiful self: lily white skin, eyes of azure blue, and golden curls in her hair! The king rejoiced, trumpets blared, drums rang ou! But at his seventh step, young Nathaniel Nussknacker stepped on and crushed Madame Mouserinks, who had just come crawling out of a hole in the floor! The boy stumbled, and in an instant, he had transformed just as the princess had: a huge ugly head with great white teeth, huge round eyes, and hair and beard of cottony white. If you have ever seen a nutcracker, you can picture how the young Nussknacker was changed.

No need to worry, though, as young Nathaniel did eventually find the true love that returned him to normal through defeating Madame Mouserinks’s seven sons who had been reborn as the seven-headed Mouse King and saving the Stahlbaum household. When young Marie Stahlbaum promised to love him despite his looks, she broke the curse on him, and the two traveled together to the Kingdom of the Dolls, where they were married and live as king and queen to this day.

And so you can see why I was so concerned to see that the Mouse King had returned and was planning to make trouble for the Man in the Moon. I suspected that the Mouse King had heard that the moon was made of green cheese (perhaps you have heard this, too) and thought that he and all the mice on Earth could climb to the moon and eat cheese to their hearts’ content without worry of cats or mousetraps or shrieking people swatting them with brooms.

I was also concerned because the presence of the Mouse King meant that the base of this column of mice was certainly in Nuremberg. Nuremberg is perhaps the city where the Christ Child is best known and at her greatest strength. There was no way I could go there, either to inspect the base of the mice column or--more importantly--to go talk to my friend Drosselmeier and his nephew Nathaniel Nussknacker to see if they could help me defeat the Mouse King, as they had done before.

Likewise, most of my toughest companions would likewise be recognized and unwelcome in Nuremberg: the Krampus, Belsnickel, and the Klaubauf would all be detected immediately. Rupert and Father Whipper would likely be more welcome, as the two of them sometimes help the Christ Child, but both worried about possibly coming into conflict with the terrifying Hans Trapp: Rupert is too kind-hearted to fight, and Father Whipper is too cowardly. And while Pete is my most trusted apprentice, this job was too dangerous for him and his brothers, no matter how much they might beg me to go to the moon.

As there was no way I could go on my own--in any of my many disguises--there was only one choice left: my wife, Mrs. Claus, a fearless woman who is definitely sturdy enough to handle the cold of the moon. The only question was how she would get there. My reindeer, horses, and donkeys were just as likely to be recognized as I was, and she needed something that could fly her to the moon, and fast. There was only one real choice: our fierce and loyal ally, Lunicursor, king of the griffins of the Riphean Mountains.

Once he had agreed to help us, Mrs. Claus and the griffin king headed out for Nuremberg. I myself had a number of quick stops to make myself before I could head to the moon. First, I wanted to make sure that Christmas would be taken care of if I somehow found myself trapped on the moon. Stranger things had happened before, and I have found myself captured by less powerful foes than the Mouse King, and time was running short before the big night.

As such, I made the quick trip from the North Pole down to the small nation of Iceland and out to the vast lava fields were Iceland’s many trolls live. There I found the thirteen troll brothers who love to make trouble for the children of Iceland at Christmas time by gobbling up their Christmas treats or slamming doors when they try to sleep, but they also delight the children by filling up their shoes with toys and candy, not just one night, but thirteen nights, one for each brother. They are called the Yule Lads, and they live in the lava fields of Iceland with their mother, a hideous ogress who likes to gobble up naughty children, and her cat, an enormous beast who looks for kids who did not receive new clothes for Christmas. (Next time you get socks for Christmas instead of a toy, be grateful, not sad! It’s better not to have the Yule Cat after you, I promise!)

By the time I got to the lava fields, the first few brothers had already set out for town, where they would bother families by drinking all their milk and scraping all the good leftover bits out of the pan with stubby little fingers. Luckily, the fourth brother--who is known as Spoon Licker because of his tendency to lick all the spoons in a house, hoping that there’s delicious sauce or cake batter left on there--was still to be found. I was able to get him to stop licking a spoon long enough to promise that he and his brothers would make sure presents got delivered to all the children of the world if I didn’t make it back in time. The Yule Lads could be hard to predict, but they weren’t nearly as naughty as they used to be before I taught them that helping children was more fulfilling than teasing them, and with thirteen of them plus help from Pete and Rupert and the elves, I thought surely they could manage to do the job I normally do in one night by myself.

I also had one other favor to ask them that I will tell you about momentarily.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus and Lunicursor had made their way as quick as lightning to Nuremberg, where they managed to slip unnoticed to the home of the clockmaker Drosselmeier. They immediately recognized him by his eyepatch, his shabby frock coat, and his shocking wig made of spun glass. He welcomed them warmly and promised to help as much as he could, as he was shocked and concerned to learn about the Mouse King’s return.

Soon Drosselmeier led Mrs. Claus and Lunicursor to a wardrobe with folding doors that was full of traveling cloaks lined with fox fur. Hiding above a large cape fastened to the ceiling of the wardrobe by a piece of lace was a ladder made of cedar wood. Climbing this ladder was the secret entrance to the Kingdom of the Dolls. You may have heard of similar secret doors in other wardrobes; some wardrobes are just that way.

Mrs. Claus and Lunicursor emerged with Drosselmeier in the Field of Sugarcandy, where everything was made of candied orange peel, burnt almonds, and sugared raisins. Soon they passed through the Forest of Christmas and over the River of Orange Juice, past the Village of Sweet Cake, along the River of Rose Essence full of golden dolphins, through the Wood of Preserved Fruits, and finally, to the capital, the City of Candied Fruits.

The capital always carries the scent of roses and has a slight pink glow to it, which comes from a lake filled with silvery pink waves on which swim silver swans with golden collars and jumping fish that shimmer like diamonds. It was on the other side of Rose Lake, past the noisy and bustling capital city, that the three came at last to Marzipan Castle. They found the king and queen--Nathaniel Nussknacker and his wife Marie--inside waiting for them.

Mrs. Claus quickly informed the young king--handsome in his coat marked with a giant golden spider, a sign of his membership in the knightly Order of the Golden Spider, which he had been awarded for saving Princess Pirlipat--that the trouble-making Mouse King had returned and that we at the North Pole required the help of the only man who had defeated him before.

Unfortunately, Nathaniel Nussknacker told Mrs. Claus that he would not be able to help us this time, as he had received word that the infamous giant Sweettooth had awakened and was returning to the capital with the goal of eating up Marzipan Castle. In the past, he had done great damage to the castle, eating the top of one tower and beginning toward the castle’s great dome before the people of the capital promised him the city’s Almond and Honey District in exchange for leaving the castle alone.

Likewise, when Mrs. Claus asked if the king had any word on the whereabouts of the descendants of the cat Herr Schnurr, who had frightened Madame Mouserinks in the past, he told her that he had unfortunately lost touch with that famed cat since taking up the throne in the doll kingdom.

Mrs. Claus was disappointed that King Nathaniel would not be able to join her in battle against the Mouse King, but she understood that he needed to protect his home against the giant. As she was preparing to get on Lunicursor’s back and fly back out of the Kingdom of the Dolls, however, Nathaniel Nussknacker stopped her and offered her the one bit of help he could: the use of the great sword Crackatook, which he carried strapped to his side at all times. The sword was named after the hard nut, as the shell of that great nut had been coated in gold and placed at the sabre’s pommel, where the name Crackatook could be seen carved into the shell in Chinese characters. The magic of the nut passed on to the sword, ensuring that its blade would never break or grow dull. It was also the only sword that had ever defeated the Mouse King before, as it was the same cavalry sabre that had previously belonged to Queen Marie’s brother, Fritz, who had lent it to the Nutcracker for his finally duel against the Mouse King.

Mrs. Claus thanked the king and his uncle for their great help and promised to return the sword in good condition (which is always important when someone lends you something that has great meaning to them). She strapped the sword Crackatook to her side, and she and King Lunicursor sped over Rose Lake, out of the Kingdom of the Dolls, out of the wardrobe, out of Nuremberg, and up to the moon!

All of this was accomplished while I myself was still meeting with Spoon-Licker in the lava fields, so it was of some importance that I make my way to the moon as quickly as possible so that I could aid Mrs. Claus and help protect the Man in the Moon from the Mouse King’s ravenous armies of mice. However, even my fastest reindeer--more rapid than eagles though they may be--are not as fast as King Lunicursor when he races to the moon, and so I knew I would need to take a shortcut. And so I planned to make my way to the moon by way of the stars.

I flew my sleigh at all speeds back up to the North Pole, where I called out to my dear friend, Callisto, the North Polar Bear. She lives most of her life among the stars above the North Pole, where she and her son Arcas help remind people which way is north. After I called out her name, she and her cub--both bigger than houses--lumbered down from their place in the sky. I explained the situation to her, which was not a surprise to her, as she had seen the pile of mice reaching up into the sky herself. She understood the urgency of our situation immediately, and of course offered to carry me and my sleigh up into the Star Land, especially once I promised to reward her and Arcas with large vats of their favorite soda once I had returned.

The Star Land is the home of the Star Man, who is the Christmas gift-bringer in western parts of Poland. He lives up in the mystical Star Land together with the Little Star, who is the star that the Three Kings saw at the first Christmas, and who brings gifts herself to children in southern Poland. Together with them are large numbers of Star Boys, who spend the Twelve Days of Christmas wandering around singing carols and welcoming the Three Kings, and a host of small angels, who also help deliver gifts. Normally, the gate between the Star Land and the Earth only opens on Christmas Eve after a child has seen the first star in the sky, but access between the worlds is easy when you live among the stars like Callisto and Arcas.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to speak with my friend the Star Man, but I spoke with him enough to explain why I was passing through his land so that I wouldn’t appear rude. I promised him I would return soon for a longer visit, during which I would bring some pierogi, herring, and poppy seed noodles for us to share.

With that settled, I quickly re-entered my sleigh and set off for the moon. You might know that there are no stars between the Earth and the Moon, and that is true, but the Star Land is a magical kind of in-between place that people with calculators and telescopes mostly don’t have the ability to see anymore. Fortunately, if you do know the way, the trip from the Star Land to the Moon is quite quick.

When I arrived at the Moon’s surface, the scene was quite a mess! The moon was simply covered with mice, so that it looked like it had a wiggly brown carpet on it. There were some empty patches, however, that were not covered in vermin, and it was in those patches that I could see my friends: the Man in the Moon, Cain, fighting off mice with the thorn branches he usually carries on his back, and his little dog Phoebe barking and snapping at them; the moon rabbits abandoning their rice cakes to smash at mice with their hammers; and of course, Mrs. Claus and Lunicursor fighting valiantly against the mouse hordes with beak, claw, and the unbreakable sword Crackatook!

Though they were doing their best, they were greatly outnumbered, so I knew something needed to be done soon. And so I called out “On, Dasher! On, Dancer!” and, well, you know the rest. And at top speed I circled around the Moon, light side and dark side, until I finally spied the hideous, seven-headed, seven-crowned Mouse King, spurring on his army to swarm the Moon.

I lowered the sleigh to hover near to him and called out to catch his attention.

“Mouse King!” I shouted. “Call off your armies! You can’t eat the Moon, we need it! It doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to everyone! Besides, the Moon hasn’t been made of cheese for hundreds of years!”

“Bah!” called the Mouse King with seven voices at once. “The Moon is mine by right of conquest! If you want it, you should fight harder for it! I know you’re hiding the cheese somewhere!”

I hadn’t really expected that reasoning would work with him, so I knew I would have to use my backup plan.

“Mouse King!” I shouted again. “Nice purple cloak! Is that new?”

I could tell now that the Mouse King was annoyed with me. “No, you fool! This cloak has been in the royal family of the Mouse Kingdom for generations! New clothes are for peasants!”

“That’s what I thought you might say,” I replied, reaching back to open my magic sack. “I have someone who might want to meet you, then.”

Remember I told you I asked Spoon-Licker for one more favor? Besides asking them to cover for me in case I didn’t make it back for Christmas, I also asked if I could borrow their cat. You know, the enormous, shaggy cat that hunts down those who didn’t get new clothes for Christmas?

Well, once I opened the mouth of my sack, the Yule Cat, who had not particularly cared for being cooped up in a magical bag, leaped out as if he had been in a bathtub where the water was too hot. He made straight for the King of the Mice, and the King’s once fearless army soon found themselves scattering like their feet were on fire. The mice scrambled in hordes and jumped back to the Earth, many splashing in the ocean, some crashing onto the land, some going who knows where. It may be generations before all the mice find their way back home.

I’m not sure what happened to the Mouse King in all the chaos. All I could find was a pile of seven crowns and a tattered purple cloak. The Yule Cat can’t speak, but I’m not even sure he would tell. All I know is that he seemed much more contented when he went back into the bag.

Anyway, the Moon is safe again, for now. I will need to return the Yule Cat to Iceland, and Mrs. Claus will need to return the sword Crackatook to the Kingdom of the Dolls, but even with all that, I hope to still have Christmas ready in time and without many mistakes.

I hope this letter finds you well, even if not on time. I hope you have or will have had a merry Christmas! Maybe a happy New Year as well! Hopefully we both have an easy time of it in the coming year. Until then, I remain:

Your friend,

Santa Claus

P.S. I am sending along to you a book with more of the story of Marie and the Nutcracker so you can learn more about how the two of them met. It’s somewhat different from what I told you in this letter—which is not surprising, as there are many different versions of this famous story; sometimes they even call Marie Clara instead, or leave out the story of the hard nut Crackatook altogether—but I promise I told the story to you just as it was told to me by Godfather Drosselmeier. I also sent along small toys of myself and the Christ Child that I hope you will like.

P.P.S. If you have the book The Alphabet of Christmas, you can see pictures of some of the different people from this letter, like the Christ Child (under C), Father Whipper (F), Star Man (G), Krampus (K), Rupert (R), Auntie Harry (T), the Yule Lads (Y), and Pete (Z).

#christmas #santa claus letter #santa claus #nutcracker #man in the moon #yule lads #yule cat #prose

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